Binding Legacies: A Marauders' Tale
by LunaBeauty
Summary: Before the adventures of a certain bespectacled young wizard, before the rise of the most powerful Dark Lord known to history, before the adventures that we known today were even recorded on a piece of paper. There were four friends: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs; join them in their most memorable year ever. James/Lily, Sirius/OC, Remus/OC
1. Chapter 1 A New Home

Chapter 1.1

A New Home

Sirius Black

The sound of the doorbell reverberated throughout the entire mansion pulling a seventeen year old Sirius Black away from his wizard card collection. An expression of annoyance crossed his face. Most likely it was his cousin, Bellatrix Black coming over to taunt him once more about the fact that she was Head Girl of Slytherin House; something, which Sirius cared not about. Still...this did not stop the constant insults from being tiresome.

Instead of standing to get the doorbell, he instead opted to allow one of his other family members to get it. However, instead of the usual welcome his mother gave his bitch of a cousin, he heard...

"Just what do you think you are doing here?"

Curious now, Sirius threw his collection of cards onto his bed and quietly left his room making his way to the stairway. Below...in the foyer, his mother stood with the door open peering rather disapprovingly at a very familiar bespectacled young woman with dark brown hair pulled back in a rather messy french plait and light brown eyes. Sirius recognized her as his fellow Hogwarts classmate and friend, Kara Hale. Kara appeared rather nervous underneath Mrs. Black's piercing gaze, something that Sirius did not blame her for. His mother could often be intimidating to those who did not know how to handle her.

"Um...I came to see if Sirius is home. I was supposed to help him with his Charms homework that's due for the start of term," Kara said shuffling her feet shyly and biting at her unmanicured fingernails.

What his mother said next both surprised and enraged Sirius. "I will not have some filthy tramp of a Mudblood stain the noble House of Black! Get out of my sight this instance and don't you dare show your face here again! If I see you even looking up at this house, I swear I will do everything in my power to make sure you are sent to Azkaban!"

Sirius could feel his fingernails digging deeply into his palms and he let out a low dog-like growl as his friend who had just been insulted suddenly burst into tears and covered her mouth as she fled from the home followed by his mother slamming the door. A few feet away, Sirius heard a tiny cackle. Kreacher, the family House-Elf had also been watching the display downstairs. However, instead of an expression of shock and anger, the Black Family servant wore an expression of glee and admiration for his mistress. "Filthy Mudbloods and Blood traitors. Kreacher's mistress was right to chase the girl away. Nasty creatures they are." He continued muttering as he walked off to clean one of the guest bedrooms.

Sirius, who would have given the dreadful House-elf a good kick any other time, ignored his mother's faithful servant and instead chose to go downstairs where his mother quickly discovered him and rounded on him.

"How dare you invite that filth here! How dare you try to stain the most noble and ancient house of Black! Regulus has never defied me in this way! Regulus would never even allow himself to look at such disgusting creatures! But you...you are a tarnish in the Black Legacy! You have done nothing, but disappoint me time and again! First you went against the family tradition and were sorted into Gryffindor, then came that accursed motorcycle that you got for your seventeenth birthday...and now you're inviting Mudbloods over for tea! What next, Sirius?! Will you be inviting full on Muggles and Squibs for tea?!"

Sirius's expression did not change while his mother was screaming at him. If he hadn't been filled with anger, he would have probably been amused at her face turning from red to white to purple and back to red again. When she finished, his arms folded across his chest and he shifted his weight to his left side, setting his jaw.

"I have only two words to say to you, mother. "Fuck you."

Mrs. Black was taken aback and stumbled back a few inches. "What did you say to me?"

Sirius's right eye twitched in warning. "Are you deaf as well, woman? I said 'FUCK YOU'. I am sick and tired of hearing about the "Black Family Legacy" all the time. Did it ever occur to you that without Muggles, our race would have died out a long time ago? No...I guess not. You talk about Muggle-born giving a bad name to witches and wizards everywhere. But look at what you have done. Look at how many people pure-bloods everywhere have hurt! I'm the tarnished one?" He let out a barking laugh in a mocking manner. "Don't make me laugh! You are the one who is tarnished. I've endured it for long enough and quite frankly, I am sick and tired of it!"

Mrs. Black recovered long enough to sneer at her youngest son. "So? What will you do about it? I hope you know that if you leave, you will be removed forever from the family tree. Where will you go? You have no money of your own and I doubt that anyone in this family will help you for fear that they will also be removed."

Sirius started to make his way to the stairs. At the very bottom, he stopped and turned. "Do you think I care about some damned tapestry? Do what you want for all I care. All I know is, I'm done with this family now and forever." Turning once more, he made his way up the stairs in a surprisingly calm manner. Once in his room, he slammed the door so hard that the objects in his room seemed to rattle.

Drawing his wand, he flicked it and his trunk flew from his closet and settled down onto his bed. With another wave, the trunk came open and he began to use his wand to guide his clothing from his armoire and closet. Everything began to pile itself into the trunk without even bothering to be folded meaning it would most likely be wrinkled not too long from now. But at this moment, Sirius couldn't be bothered. Last went his broomstick and small moving portrait of himself along with his friends. There were a few knick-knacks here and there left in his room, but it was nothing that he cared to take.

Setting his trunk down onto the floor, he took one last look around his room, which, unlike the rest of the house was considered a black sheep of a room as it had been decorated with colours of his own house, Gryffindor instead of the green and silver décor of Slytherin. Even though it was a nice room with a king-sized bed, various posters including the Muggle kind, which didn't move oddly enough and a rather nice view of the street below, Sirius knew that he would not miss it. As far as he was concerned...a trash bin outside of The Leaky Cauldron was better than this place.

Picking up his trunk once more, he began to wheel it downstairs, being forced to pick it up to carry it down the steps. His brother, Regulus came outside of his room as Sirius was halfway down the stairs. Sirius stopped and gazed up at his brother studying him for a moment. No one could deny that there was a certain resemblance between Sirius and Regulus Black. Even though Regulus was two years younger than Sirius...he was often seen as the more mature of the Black brothers. Both brothers had black hair on the slightly long side and their mother's grey eyes. But Regulus's eyes held none of the laughter and warmth that Sirius's always held.

"I hope you realize what a serious mistake you are making," he said holding his head up high as he always did, even when he spoke to his older brother.

"Actually, I think that this is the best thing I could ever do," Sirius said, turning his eyes into small slits as he glared up at his brother. "I hope that one day, you too will see fit to leave this life behind and pursue something better for yourself."

Sirius ignored his brother's snorting in disgust as he made his way the rest of the way downstairs and pulled open the front door. Parked outside was his beloved motorcycle given to him by his best friend, James Potter for his seventeenth birthday last year. While he had placed a flying charm upon it, he could not fly it in broad daylight with Muggles about so instead, he attached his trunk to the back of it looking left and right to make sure that no one was around before ropes sprang from his wand to tie the trunk down . Climbing onto the bike, he kicked it into gear and sped off down the street heading to the one place he knew where he would always be welcome...The Potters.


	2. Chapter 2 A New Head Boy in Town

James Potter

"I swear, James! If you do not turn off that bloody racket you kids these days call music, I will come up there and jinx your radio out the window!"

James Potter stood in front of the mirror in his room. The wizarding radio, which was on his desk played one of the newest songs from the famous Wizarding Rock Band known as The Jinxes. Standing in front of the mirror, one might think he was either admiring his own appearance or gussying up. But neither of this was true. Instead, James was performing a wide array of Muggle dance moves, one which included him bringing his left arm up and down diagonally across his chest and into the air while he swung his hips from side to side, gyrating in what he hoped was in a cool way. Although to someone watching...he might look like a mental patient at Saint Mungo's who was suffering a permanent Antius Pantalones Jinx...otherwise known as the Ants-In-Your-Pants Jinx.

The bespectacled wizard failed to hear his mother answer the door and failed to hear the footsteps up the stairs. There was a clear reason why James was dancing around like a fool. It had to do with a certain attractive red haired witch with the most beautifully vivid green eyes he had ever seen. James knew that Lily loved to dance and he was determined to learn as well in order to maybe sweep her off the feet at the Hogwarts Ball that was held each year for years five through seven. The previous two years, she had rejected his offer to escort her. But this year would be different. He would do everything in his power, aside from mixing up a love potion in order to win her over.

Breaking away from his daydream, a second face appeared in the mirror with a goofy grin, gyrating his own hips behind James and thrusting his pelvis in a mockingly provocative manner. Realizing who it was, James turned around and smacked his best friend Sirius over the back of the head. "Asshole. You ever heard of knocking?" James said in between laughter.

Sirius wiggled his hips a few more times in response before settling down on James's twin bed. "Well...I did knock. But you were too busy standing in front of a mirror moving around like a rampaging troll who just got his pants stuck up the crack of his ass. Why are you dancing anyway?" Sirius grinned at his friend knowingly. "Trying to impress Evans or something?"

James turned the radio off. Even though his best friend seemed his usual self...full of jokes and teasing him about his crush since his fourth year...he could tell something was wrong. He could see it in those grey eyes of his. James and Sirius had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts. One could almost always tell when the other was upset or down about something. There were many who often assumed that the two Gryffindors were bisexual and therefore had romantic feelings for each other because of the strong bond they shared. But anyone who made this assumption was quickly corrected. Sirius had had more girlfriends than any of his friends and James...while not having as many relationships in the past was also quite popular with the females of Hogwarts and even outside of Hogwarts.

"Well you know...I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn how to dance." James sat down backwards in his desk chair, his legs swung on either side and his elbows propped on the back of the chair. "So what's wrong, Pads?"

Sirius absently played with his wand causing blue sparks to shoot out before he sighed, running his fingers through his shaggy black hair. "Man, my family...I've had it. I'm so sick and tired of their prejudiced ways."

James straightened up. He was used to Sirius complaining about his family...but this time it seemed like Sirius had had enough. "Damn, what did they pull this time?"

"Kara came over because she promised to help me finish the rest of my summer homework I have left over and my mum answered the door."

James had a feeling he knew what was coming. He whistled. "Ooh, oh boy."

Sirius snorted. "Tsch. Yeah, so anyways...she practically reduced Kara to tears. Normally I wouldn't think too much of it, but this is one time too many. So that's why I'm here?"

"What, you need a place to stay for a few nights?" James asked assuming that this was just like those other times where Sirius often left his home for a few days.

Sirius shook his head. "Hell no. I'm here to stay indefinitely...or at least until I graduate Hogwarts."

James appeared speechless for a moment before his lips spread into a large grin. "Man, that's great! Mum will definitely love this. All I hear from her sometimes is 'Sirius this and Sirius that' and 'When is that friend of yours, Sirius Black coming over?' I swear, it's like she secretly has a crush on you. I almost feel sorry for Dad."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows, his lips forming his trademark crooked smile that made many girls swoon. "Well you know me...I'm one sexy beast."

James picked up a Muggle Action Figure that Remus had given him as a joke gift for his last birthday and chucked it at Sirius who moved his head to the right to dodge. Unlike Wizarding Action figures, the Muggle variety did not move.

"James, we really need to do something about your violent nature. Last time it was a book, the time before that it was a pillow. This time you're throwing toys at me?" Sirius tsked, clicking his tongue three times. "I believe they have a place at Saint Mungo's just for you."

James made a face at his friend. "Oh shut it. Anyways, I have a bit of news for you."

"Oh yeah? What's up?"

James had stood up and was fiddling through his desk drawer. He pulled out something small and turned around, tossing it onto Sirius's lap. "Check it out."

Sirius peered down at the object in his lap. It was a badge shaped like a shield and featured a crimson and gold colouring as well as the symbol of a roaring lion propped against the letter "H". He looked up at James who wore an unreadable expression.

"Head Boy."

James sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Head. Boy."

"What are we all of a sudden part troll or something? Say something else!"

Sirius shook his head and turned the badge over. He even stuck it in between his teeth and bit down on it, most likely making sure it was real before James snatched it away from him.

"Dude, that's nasty. Yeah...I was as shocked as you are. I figured that it would be Remus since he was prefect and all. Definitely not me."

Sirius shrugged. "That's for sure. Either Dumbledore has had one too many Acid Pops or he must see something in you that no one else sees. That along with Quidditch Captain? You're moving up in the world!"

James knew that Sirius was referring to the fact that he had been made Quidditch Captain in his fifth year. Sirius was on the Gryffindor team as well as a Beater. He tossed the badge back into his desk drawer. "Well, you know what this means...I can now give ol' Snivelly detention."

Sirius snickered. "Oh yes, I can see it now." His voice then took on a pompous air. "One hundred million points from Slytherin and detention for being a greasy haired butt munch!"

James and Sirius were soon rolling in laughter as they exchanged jokes about James's wishes as Head Boy. They were still laughing that evening as they sat down with James's family at dinner.


	3. Chapter 3 Part 1

Lily Evans

Author's Note: It has been about three days since Sirius has severed ties with his family and it is now about one week before the characters return to Hogwarts.

Lily checked her book list one more time to make sure that she had the books she needed before leaving Flourish and Blotts and heading into Madam Malkin's Robe Shop. The school list this year required her to purchase a pair of dress robes due to the ball, which would be held at the end of the first term. Upon walking into the shop, she discovered that there were others also purchasing robes. This included first year students who were getting their robes for the first time, older students who were getting new robes because the ones that they had owned were getting too small for them and some like her who were getting dress robes.

Madam Malkin, herself, was a portly lady with frazzly grey hair hidden underneath a lavender pointed hat and matching light purple robes. Her light blue eyes crinkled warmly as Lily walked in. "Good afternoon, my dear. What can I help you with, today?"

Lily approached the kindly witch. "I'm here to get my dress robes."

Madam Malkin did not seem surprised. Why should she be? There were probably five other students here also getting their dress robes. "Step right this way dear. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?" she asked as she led Lily towards one of the Girls' Fitting Rooms.

Lily, herself, didn't know this. It wasn't everyday she attended a ball. The only robes she owned were her school robes. Every other time, she wore Muggle attire like today. Lily tucked a lock of auburn hair behind her right ear nervously. "Oh...I don't know. I've never worn dress robes before so I don't really know if they look like regular robes...just different colours...or if there are different styles of dress robes."

Madam Malkin smiled understandingly. "Of course, dear. I understand. Well, dress robes are a little different from your everyday robe wear. They actually come in various styles and are usually more ornate than ordinary school robes. I could bring you a few selections and see which one catches your fancy. Is there any particular colour that you prefer?"

Now Lily's signature colour was green due to her emerald green eyes. It was a colour that filled her closet. One might think that she was secretly a Slytherin Supporter if they happened to walk into her closet. But maybe Lily was tired of being predictable...maybe she wanted a change. There was another colour she was fond of, but she had never worn it before for fear that it would clash horribly with her hair and eyes.

"Um...how about something in purple?" she requested.

Madam Malkin smiled approvingly and waddled off towards the dress robes section of the shop. Lily thought that she was alone until she heard a voice to the right of her separated by a beige curtain. "Purple, eh?"

The curtain was peeled back to reveal one of Lily's best friend's, Melanie Sparks. Like Lily, Melanie had also come to Madam Malkin's for dress robes. In fact, she was wearing a pair right now. They were black like her school robes, but had green trimmings around the collar, which bared her shoulders and the hem.

"Well you know me. I like to live dangerously."

Melanie snickered before pushing her dirty blonde fringe away from her face. "Please, Lil's. The most dangerous thing you have done is waiting until the very last minute to cram for an exam."

"So what are you saying?" Lily snapped while fighting laughter.

Melanie turned towards the mirror and turned around on the pedestal to look at herself from all sides. "I'm saying that you're too much of a goody-goody to really be bad."

Lily was about to protest when Madam Malkin returned. She could hear her friend's snickering as she closed the curtain back around her side of the Fitting Room. Madam Malkin held about a dozen dress robes in her arms, each of them different shades of purple.

"Go ahead and try these on. I'll return with some more," she said before disappearing from the dressing room.

Lily began to remove her clothing, setting them in a neat pile on the floor before picking up the dress robe on top of the pile. Melanie had peeled the curtain back and had stepped off of her pedestal. She was now back in what she thought was some semblance of Muggle attire, which included black tights, neon green hot pants, and a large dark blue t-shirt with the name of some Muggle rock band. She wore a pair of red platform heels.

Lily couldn't help, but giggle. "Did your mummy dress you this morning?" she asked teasingly. She knew that, being a pure-blood, her friend was not as well-versed in the Muggle world, like herself and their other friend, Kara.

Melanie struck a pose by wrapping her arms behind her head and jutting her hips out to the right. "Bitch, don't be hatin'," she said. "I'm only trying to express myself."

Lily shook her head and pulled the first dress robe over her head. "Well, I should probably tell you that Muggles don't usually wear that."

Melanie stuck her tongue out at Lily. "And I should tell you that I'm not a Muggle so I can wear whatever the hell I want."

Melanie had always been rather eccentric, always going against what others often did and that included her attire. With her attitude in school, one might think she was better suited for Slytherin, but she was living proof that sometimes, even the Sorting Hat makes exceptions. Melanie stood out greatly among the Hufflepuffs and was some-what the black sheep of that House having nearly none of its signature traits.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't come crying to me if you get arrested on account of horrible fashion," she said before grimacing at Lily's selections. "These are rather girly aren't they?" she said picking up a dress robe and holding it between her fingers.

Lily snatched the robe away from Melanie. "I happen to like girly!" she said indignantly.

Melanie put her hands up in front of her and backed off. "Ooh, kitty's got claws," she said mockingly.

Lily made a face before taking off one pair of dress robes and putting on another. She turned around in front of the mirror. "Hm...I do kind of like the way these fit me," she said.

Melanie nodded approvingly. "They're definitely nice, I'll admit that."

Lily smiled triumphantly. "It's settled then. I'm getting these," she said as she began to take them off. Melanie helped her by gathering up the rejects. As pulled her skirt around her ankles and began to slide it up, the curtain to the Girls' Fitting room opened and in popped the grinning face of Sirius Black. "Aww, damn. Looks like I missed out on a party," he said clearly undetered by the fact that Lily was in her skivvies. He waved merrily at the furiously blushing witch. "Hi, Evans."

Lily threw a hanger at him. "Damnit, Sirius! Get out of here! Can't you read? This is the Girls' Fitting Room," she said drawing out the last three words for emphasis.

A voice spoke up behind Sirius. "Perving again as always, aren't we, Padfoot?" James peered stepped up from behind his best friend, his eyes traveling up and down Lily's form. Lily did her best to cover herself before he smirked while running his fingers through his hair and ruffling it as he usually did. He thought it made him look dashing, but Lily thought that if his head inflated anymore, it would pop like a balloon; something, which she had been hoping for since the day she met him.

"Nice underwear," he said smirking at her. Lily wore a simple pair of white cotton underwear and a matching white bra...worn out of necessity and not for seduction, which she definitely did not plan on doing any time soon. "Potter! Are you and Black mentally retarded?! Get out!" She began throwing hangers at them.

The two boys dodged the hangers. "Whoa, Evans. You're getting to be just as violent as Prongs here," Sirius said. "The way the two of you are always throwing things at other people, you're both perfect for each other."

Lily answered this by flipping Sirius off. "Bite me, Black. You two, Potter. Get the hell out!"

Over in the corner, Melanie was doubled over with laughter. Some help she was. James sighed and looked at his partner in crime. "Well, I think we should leave these ladies alone. It seems they are having enough fun without us."

Lily growled. "We'd rather have fun with Peeves!" she yelled referring to Hogwart's resident poltergeist who was often the bane of everyone's existance with his annoying pranks that were right about on par the that of the Marauders.

Sirius and James both blew kisses to a fuming Lily and a laughing Melanie before they turned and walked off, their heads thrown back in laughter. Lily growled at their retreating backs.

"I don't know why you're getting your knickers on in a twist," Melanie said approaching Lily as she slid her skirt on and buttoned her blouse.

"They're both annoying gits!" she snapped at her friend.

Melanie shrugged. "Maybe, but they're sexy annoying gits. Girl, if I were you, I'd be all over Potter right now."

"Yes, but shocker. You aren't me. Still...if you are so hot for Potter, then why don't you go out with him? Get him the hell away from me."

Melanie hung the reject dress robes on the hook in the Fitting Room and picked up her choice while Lily picked up her own. "Don't tempt me," she said laughing as they went to the front and paid for their purchases before leaving Diagon Alley and heading back to Lily's house, which Melanie decided to invite herself to claiming that her mother was cooking stewed cabbage again.


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2

Kara Hale

"Kara, sweetie? Is anything wrong? You haven't touched your limas all throughout dinner and I made them with bacon grease just the way you like them."

Kara pushed her lima beans around her plate with her fork. There was a rather saddened look in her light brown eyes. "I'm all right, Mum," she lied as she took a bite of her beans and forced herself to swallow. The lump in her throat was so large that the feeling of the beans sliding down her throat was slightly painful. "I'm just not hungry, that's all."

Mrs. Hale looked at her husband who looked at her with bewilderment. They were no strangers to their daughter's sensitivity, but it seemed magnified. Still...they weren't the kind of parents who prodded and nagged, something which Kara was thankful for since, at the moment, she didn't feel like sharing her story with them. "May I be excused?" she asked hoping that her parents would grant her wish.

Mr. Hale nodded. "Yes, just leave your plate on the counter and I'll put it in a tupperware container to put with the rest of the leftovers."

Thanking her parents, Kara pushed her chair back and walked down the hallway to her room. She sat down on her full sized bed with a blue floral comforter and laid back, her legs dangling off the edge of her bed and her dark brown ponytail draped over her right shoulder just under her bosom. Since she had ran out of the Black's house the other day, she had not visited again, nor had she seen Sirius. But according to Remus, who she had spoken to on the phone the day before, Sirius was now staying with James for an undetermined amount of time. Kara couldn't help, but feel that it was her fault. After all, if she hadn't gone over to his house, he wouldn't have fought with his parents.

Kara could feel tears building up within her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. Why was she such a crybaby? She cried at the end of certain movies. She had even cried when her goldfish had died. She could not harden her heart like some of her friends who never seemed to shed tears. Why couldn't she be more like Melanie who did not give a damn as to what anyone thought of her and would most likely have hexed the buttocks off of Mrs. Black. Still, Melanie was pure-blood so she assumed that Mrs. Black would have welcomed her with open arms.

Mrs. Hale then came into the room clutching the cordless phone in her hand. "Kara. Its for you. It's Sirius," she said handing the phone over to her daughter.

Kara took the phone from her mother almost dropping it because her hands were rather sweaty. She placed the earpiece next to her ear.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello! Can. You. Hear. Me. Kara!" Sirius yelled as if he was shouting from somewhere far away.

Kara cringed. With Sirius being a pure-blood, of course he wouldn't exactly know how to use a phone. "Yes, Sirius. I can hear you just fine. You really don't have to yell," she said.

"Hold on!" Sirius yelled, clearly not grasping the concept. She heard him speaking to someone else. "Hey, Prongs. How do you work this damn thing?"

Kara heard a voice in the background that belonged to James. "How the hell should I know," he snapped. "I guess you just hold it to your ear and talk? Damned Muggle contraptions."

Kara found herself giggling and then she heard Sirius's voice again, this time in a normal tone that didn't practically make her ears bleed. "There's that laugh. But seriously, are you all right?"

Kara sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're a terrible liar, Kar," Sirius said calling Kara by her nickname, even though her name was only four letters long. "So anyways, do you want to hang out some time tomorrow? We might as well get in some fun before we go back into the hell that is called school."

Kara found herself laughing. "It's not that bad. I'm sure Gryffindor will win the Quidditch Cup this year."

She couldn't see it, but Sirius was shaking his head mockingly. "Betraying your own house by cheering for the other team, I'm shocked at you, Kara," he said in a mockingly disappointed voice.

Kara was in Ravenclaw. "Oh stop it," she said sticking her lower lip out and pouting. "You know I like my team too. But I'm allowed to root for other teams too."

"Well sure, but I might have to intervene if you start rooting for Slytherin," Sirius said not hiding his disgust for Gryffindor's rival House. "So anyways, do you want to hang out tomorrow?" he asked again.

"Tomorrow?" Kara asked looking around her room as she began thinking.

"Yeah. Just you and me. It'll be fun. We can go to one of those drive-in movies together. I promise I won't try to make out with you or anything," he quickly added.

A light pink tinge brushed Kara's cheeks and she felt her face heating up. Suddenly, heard James's voice. He had picked up one of the other phones at his house. "He totally wants to make out with you. He told me today," James said cheekily.

"James, you git! Get off the phone!" Sirius yelled at his best, yet annoying, friend before speaking to Kara once more. "Yeah, sure. But not like it's a date or anything," he added quickly.

"No...of course not," Kara hastily agreed. It definitely wouldn't be a date. It wasn't her first time hanging out with just Sirius. Still, James's statement made her a little nervous. "I'll go with you," she said.

After she said that, her mother poked her head into the room. "Kara, I need you to get off the phone now. Your father needs to use it for a business call," she said before giving Kara the privacy she needed to say good-bye to her friends.

After saying good-bye, she hung the phone up and brought it to her father before going back into her room to look through her closet in order to see what she should wear tomorrow. Her closet mostly consisted of long grey tweed skirts and white blouses with vests, which made her look like an old school teacher. (Author's Note: I am basically going on my research of some of the fashions in the seventies. If it is wrong, I apologize.) All those times that Melanie and Lily had offered to take her shopping, but she had declined...she should have taken them up on their offers. Oh well...it wasn't like tomorrow was a special occasion. Still...she one of her nicer outfits from the closet and hung it on the hook just outside the closet door before walking over to her floor length mirror and staring into it.

Kara grimaced at her reflection. Other than the frizzy untamable dark brown hair and remarkable brown eyes, she was also about five pounds overweight, which was the reason she wore such baggy blouses and long skirts to hide this fact. While other girls wore contacts, she was still stuck in the glasses stage, which had large lenses that framed about half of her face and had tan rims. In other words, she did not consider herself attractive like her friends Lily and Melanie. So it was surprising that the two of them were so friendly towards her.

With a grimace of disgust, Kara grabbed her book bag from under her bed and pulled out some home-work that she needed to finish before term started. The rest of her evening was rather uneventful.


	5. Chapter 4

**Remus Lupin**

Remus stood near the barriers of platform nine and ten. Next to him was the trolley, which held his trunk and his Spectacled Owl, Perseus, who was inside his cage at the moment. Remus received many odd looks, given the fact that not many Muggles had Owls in their possessions. He lifted his green eyes up towards the clock on the front of the ticket stand. It was 10:30 now. Another half hour and the train would be leaving. Where in Dumbledore's name were they? He wanted to get a good seat on the train before they were all taken. A few students who were also returning to Hogwarts had gone through the barrier before him. If Remus had been a little more rude, he would have refused them passage. But the fact of the matter was that Remus was too much of a nice guy and he tended to sometimes let people walk all over him.

Remus heard the chattering of female voices. "And then what happened, Kara?" asked one particular female voice. Remus looked up from his trolley and found his eyes meeting with Lily, Melanie, and Kara. There was a small bit of surprise, given the fact that Lily always had impeccable timing. Not that she was even close to being late, but he had assumed that she would have been sitting on the train by now.

"Hey, there's Remus!" Melanie said before she ran over to him.

"Hey, Mel," he said, his eyes crinkling in a friendly way as he smiled.

"Wotcher," she said.

While Lily and Kara wore perfectly normal Muggle clothing consisting of skirts and blouses and Kara's trademark grey tweed skirt and blouse and vest, Melanie looked like...well she looked like she had just grabbed random articles of clothing from her closet. Today's colour clashing combo including hot pink high waisted trousers, a neon green crop top that showed off her stomach, a long white man's button up shirt, which was unbuttoned and had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a pair of brown sandals with socks. (Author's Note: I will not torture you all by describing ALL of Melanie's outfits, only the ones that I think stand out the most.)

"How are you doing, Remus?" Lily asked as she stopped her trolley near the barrier. There was a small hint of concern in her eyes.

Remus admired the way that Lily often thought of others before herself and was friendly towards everyone, even if certain people may not have led the most honest lives. Well...almost everyone, he thought as he thought of his friend, James who was practically the bane of Lily's existence.

"I'm doing fine, Lily. Thanks for asking," he said smiling.

Lily nodded, the corners of her lips spreading. It was no wonder James was so infatuated with her. Other than being one of the brightest witches of her age, she was also very very attractive. If he wasn't afraid that James would have his head, he would readily admit that he had once had a small crush on Lily. But those feelings had not been strong enough for him to pursue anything with her.

He glanced at Kara who remained in the background, normally plucking at the material in her skirt. "Hi, Kara," he said acknowledging her presence.

"Hello," she said in her usual shy tone.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really need to get onto the train and meet up with the prefects to give them their instructions," Lily said in what seemed like a slightly smug tone.

"Give instructions to the prefects?" Remus asked in bewilderment then his eyes widened in realization. "You don't mean to tell me...I mean you're not..."

Lily smirked and pulled a badge from her pocket. Remus peered down at it. "Wow! Head Girl, Lily! That's awesome!"

"Thanks. Anyways, I should be going now," she said as she pushed her trolley straight through the barrier, disappearing to the other side.

Remus watched a Kara and Melanie also disappeared with the latter winking at him causing Remus to blush briefly and shake his head in amusement before the realization hit him and he burst into random laughter. He couldn't wait to see the look on Lily's face when she found out who the Head Boy was. Chances were, neither James or she knew or else James would have been bragging about it all week and Lily would not be in the cheerful mood that she was in just now.


	6. Chapter 4 part 2

[b]James Potter[/b]

James pulled his trunk from the boot of his parents' car and softly slammed the hood down earning a yelp from Sirius.

"Bloody hell, Prongs!" Sirius yelled clutching his right forefinger. "You damn near took my finger off!"

James clicked his tongue impatiently, his eyes lifting towards the sky. "Oh you poor little puppy. Did I hurt your paw?" he crooned while snickering.

Sirius piled is trunk into his own trolley. James owned a Spotted Owl named Spot, and Sirius owned a Northern Saw-whet Owl, which he had christened Fluffy because of the fact that his owl was very heavily feathered around the feet.

Mr. Potter closed the boot of the car while Mrs. Potter hugged them all, clinging to them extra tightly. James squirmed under his mother's vice-like grip. She always got like this every time they went off to Hogwarts.

"Ow, Mum, Gerroff me!" James protested.

But Mrs. Potter only licked her hand and began to attempt to smooth James's unruly hair, which was an impossible feat, as his hair had a mind of its own. Sirius was about four feet away, sniggering behind his hand at the scene before him. James gave his partner in crime a look that promised a lot of pain and torture as soon as his parents were gone.

"I can't believe this is your last year!" Mrs. Potter yelled. "My little boy, you're all grown up!" She pulled away and dabbed her eyes with a hankerchief.

James's embarrassed expression softened. He really couldn't blame her for acting this way. He was her only son, after all, and she had a right to act this way whenever he went away for an extended amount of time. Mr. Potter gently pulled his wife away from her only child, patting her hand comfortingly.

"Come now, Abigail," he said. "The boys need to board the train."

Mrs. Potter sniffled. "Of course, dear," she said. A stream of tears soon followed and Mr. Potter was forced to rub her back soothingly while he looked up at the two boys who suddenly appeared rather uncomfortable.

"Be good this year, boys. I'll see you both for Christmas," he said before his eyes twinkled mischievously at James. "Son, try not to give Lily too much of a hard time, okay?"

"I'm not making any promises, Dad," James said chuckling before Sirius and he waved and continued on into the station.

Sirius suddenly grabbed hold of him and hugged him. "Oh, my baby!" Sirius sobbed in a mocking way, imitating James's mother. James shoved him away.

"Gerroff, you stupid git," he muttered, his cheeks crimson. "I'm just glad she decided to break down just outside of the station instead of making a scene inside like she usually does."

James really loved his mother, he did. But there were times when he did get tired of her clingy habits. It was understanding because he was her only son, but sometimes, enough was enough.

"Hey, there's Moony," Sirius said. James and he pushed their trolleys over to their friend who was waiting so patiently for them.

"How've you been, you sexy beast?" James asked Remus as they approached him.

"Not bad, yourself?" Remus replied.

James studied his other best friend. There were dark circles underneath his eyes and a new scar had been added to his face; still, he looked well enough. He wasn't missing any limbs and he appeared happy.

"Fine, fine, where's Wormtail?" James asked realizing that the final member of their little gang hadn't arrived yet.

The three of them then heard a voice calling for them. "Wait up, you guys! Don't leave without me."

There was a crash and James, Sirius, and Remus all winced in unison as Peter had tripped over the loose shoe-laces of his trainers and fell, bringing the trolley down with him and dumping his trunk onto the floor. People stopped what they were doing and gathered around the fallen young man. The guard began cursing and muttering about delinquents. The other three boys rushed over to help their friend.

"Blimey, Wormtail," Sirius said helping his friend stand while Remus set the trolley upright and James began to pile Peter's trunks back into the basket. "You know, if you wanted to make a cool entrance, that was not the way to do it," he said teasingly.

"But I wasn't trying to make a cool entrance," Peter protested, his voice taking on a rather whiny tone.

Remus stepped in right there. "Of course you weren't," he said in order to placate Peter who appeared to be on the verge of tears.

The boy cried more often than Kara, James had to admit, and that was saying something. When Kara cried, she usually had a good reason. But Peter would usually burst into tears even if someone looked at him funny.

The four of them pushed their trolleys forward once Peter calmed down and disappeared through the barrier one by one. The Hogwarts Express whistled, releasing a plume of white smoke. Students were saying good-bye to their parents and groups of students were catching up on what they had done for the summer.

"See you guys later," James said. "I have to go up to the front and give the prefects their first instructions," he said.

"Good luck!" Remus called as James disappeared.

"Whip those prefects into shape!" Sirius added.

"Wait, Prongs is Head Boy?" Peter asked, clearly confused as he had forgotten.

James climbed into the train, finding a compartment where he could stuff his trunk. He pinned his Head Boy badge onto the right breast of his shirt and set off towards the front where the prefects would be. James passed a group of three girls. One of them stopped and spoke.

"Hi, James," she said in a rather flirty tone of voice before giggling.

"Er, hi," James said grinning crookedly. The girl was rather attractive with platinum blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and, well, rather large assets, James couldn't help, but notice as his eyes slid down to her chest. It was merely a reflex. What normal guy wouldn't notice bosoms that big?

"Well, see you later," she said as she flounced off followed by her two friends. Yes, James was watching her walk away before he shook his head and continued forward to the front of the train.

When he reached the front compartment, which was much roomier and nicer than the other compartments, he saw that the prefects were there already. There were eight, four boys and four girls, two for each House. Still, that wasn't what caught his eye. His hazel eyes glimpsed a flash of long auburn hair and his lips spread into a grin when he realized who it was.

"Well, well, well, I should have known," he said ruffling his hair with his right hand.

The girl turned around and James's suspicions were confirmed as he found himself staring into the emerald green eyes of Lily Evans.

"This is a nice surprise," he said giving his trademark crooked smile that could make any girl go weak at the knees. In fact, some of the female prefects sighed dreamily, but were silenced by a piercing glare from Lily.

"What the hell are you doing here, Potter?" she demanded folding her arms across her chest.

Damn, she was beautiful, even when she was angry, James thought before he grinned and flashed his Head Boy badge at her. "Looks like you and I will be working together," he said having taken notice of her Head Girl badge, which was pinned to her robes.

Lily's eyes widened and she began to stammer incoherently. The expression on her face was one James would never forget for as long as he lived.


	7. Chapter 5

**Lily Potter**

Silence filled the compartment as Lily stared at James with disbelief. The only sound that was made was the brief coughing of a female Ravenclaw Prefect, who was quickly silenced by her male counterpart. Lily averted her eyes from his, which were squinting mischievously at her. She gazed down upon the Head Boy badge pinned to his shirt. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, but was only perhaps about a minute, she smiled.

"Very funny, Potter. Now give that badge back to whomever you stole it from and please get out," she said as politely as possible flicking her wand towards the compartment door, which opened for James.

James shook his head. "I didn't steal it from anyone," he said smugly.

Lily bit down on the inside of her left cheek impatiently. "Then you transfigured some random badge!" she snapped. "The point is you're not allowed in here, so please leave or I will be forced to tell the conductor that you are causing a scene."

James appeared to be humming and ignoring her as he reached into the pocket of his pants a slip of paper and handed it to Lily. Lily snatched it away with a loathing glare at him and unfolded the letter and began to read it. Her emerald eyes quickly scanned the page. It appeared to be a simple Hogwarts Letter, the same every student got. But when she flipped over to the second page, her heart nearly stopped. She read it out loud. "_We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen as this year's t Head Boy. We congratulate you and we hope you will do everything to set a good example for the students. Please find enclosed your Head Boy badge and a list of instructions." _Lily stopped reading right there and looked up at James in disbelief.

"Professor Dumbledore has definitely gone off his rocker," she muttered as she thrust the letter back at James. "No one in their right minds would make _you _a head boy," Lily hissed at him.

James shrugged and ruffled the back of his hair in that way she despised. He thought it made him look like he had just gotten off of his broomstick, that it made him look...irresistible. But it only served in making him look like a little git. She looked to the prefects for help, but they were merely enjoying the show.

"Some help you guys are," she grumbled before turning to James again. "Fine, Potter. Apparently Dumbledore has either gone batshit crazy, or he sees something in you that no one else sees. Why Remus didn't get the position is beyond me," she said. "Just stay on your side of the train and I'll stay on mine."

James shrugged. "Fair enough." He then slung his arm around her shoulder and gave her a one armed hug. "Just think, you and me, bossing all of these little midgets around, it'll be fun won't it?"

Lily sank down underneath his weight. She wasn't that much shorter than him, being only five-foot-five while he was around five-foot-nine. But he had a lean solid strength. Lily could have sworn she caught the hint of Old Spice on him. It was a little more musky than what her own father wore, but it worked for him. Feeling a light painful tug on her hair, she freed herself from his grasped.

"Ow, Potter! You're pulling my hair! Just take four of the prefects and start patrolling the north side of the train. We're allowed half-hour breaks after each hour," she said waving him off.

James wiggled his fingers at her before beckoning for four prefects to join him. The two from Ravenclaw, one from Gryffindor, and one from Hufflepuff joined him. That left Lily with the other one from Gryffindor, the two Slytherins, and the remaining Hufflepuff.

"Right, you lot, let's start patrolling the south side of the train," she said standing up and opening the compartment door. She allowed the prefects to go before her. Before starting the patrols, she glanced towards the direction that Potter had gone in and shook her head, sighing. This was going to be a long freaking year.

(Author's Note: I apologize for any typos, grammatical errors, or spelling errors.)


	8. Chapter 5 Part 2

**Melanie Sparks**

Melanie was inside one of the compartments of the train struggling to help Kara lift her trunk, which was heavier than usual up onto the shelf that held her trunk as well. Yet, when she attempted to lift it, it would not budge.

"Merlin's beard, Kara. What do you have in this thing?" she asked grunting as she struggled with the suitcase.

Kara appeared quite perplexed. "Um...just some textbooks, really," she said tilting her head.

"Well, how many? We only have about three new textbooks this year," Melanie said wondering how a trunk could be so heavy just because of a few extra books.

Kara looked down and shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Well, Years one through six, to be honest with you," she confessed.

Melanie, who had managed to lift one side of the trunk, ended up dropping it where it hit her foot, causing her face to turn white with pain. She let out a stream of curses while hopping up and down.

"Sorry," Kara said in a rather small voice.

"Blimey, Kara!" Melanie exclaimed when her pain had finally subsided. "What do you expect to do with that many books?" But she didn't wait for her friend to answer. Kara was probably the biggest bookworm she knew. Chances are, she would read the old textbooks for fun in her spare time. "Nevermind, I'll just poke my head out and see if anyone can help us out."

Melanie opened the door to her compartment and peered out. There were a few students out and about, but they seemed a bit too scrawny. Finally, she happened to glimpse Sirius, Remus, and Peter coming down the corridor, most likely looking for a compartment. Melanie wasted no time.

"Oi!" she gave a shrill whistle with her fingers. "You cluster of heterosexuality, get over here!" Melanie waved them over.

The three looked at each other before shrugging and sauntering over to her. Sirius, ever the charmer, swept off an imaginary hat and bowed to Melanie. "You called, M'lady?" he asked in a mockingly proper voice of a true gentleman.

Melanie hit him upside the head lightly with her palm as he bowed. "Quit being so facetious," she said. "We have a major crisis on our hands."

Remus stepped forward, looking quite concerned, his eyebrows furrowed. "Is anyone hurt?" he asked.

Melanie scratched her right cheek and shook her head. "No, not exactly." She chose not to mention what happened to her foot. "Kara apparently packed a lot of books and it's weighing down her trunk. Neither of us can get it up on the shelf," she said, blushing sheepishly.

Sirius began to flex his arms. "Welp, looks like it's time to see if my work outs over the summer have paid off," he said showing off his biceps. Sirius wasn't grotesquely ripped like the body-builders one would see on television, but he did have a nice lean strength. Remus was a little thinner, and his muscles were a little less prominent, but they were there. Peter...well...he looked like a rat-faced version of the Pillsbury Dough-Boy. There wasn't much to be said about him.

Melanie stepped aside to allow Remus and Sirius into the compartment where Kara was struggling with the trunk now. Kara stepped away and stood beside Melanie. The two girls watched as the two young men lifted the trunk, one on each side and hoisted it up onto the shelf next to Melanie's.

"Mmm-mmm," Melanie said appreciatively as her blue-green eyes fell upon Remus's rear end. "Very nice." She laughed when Remus blushed and straightened up very quickly.

"Ooh, yes," Sirius added agreeingly. "Since when did you get such a nice ass, Moony?" he asked smirking.

Remus turned so that his rear-end was out of sight. Melanie grinned playfully before she sat down. "You guys wanna join us?" she asked patting a seat next to her.

Sirius shrugged. "Well, we already stowed our stuff away with James's. But...ah, what the hell. It's not like anyone will steal our stuff," he said before taking a seat next to Kara and leaning back casually, draping his right foot over his left upper leg. Remus sat next to Melanie, but slouched less.

Sirius poked Kara's side causing her to squirm. "Did you lose weight this summer?" he asked.

Kara brushed his hand away impatiently. "A little...I guess. I don't know," she said.

Sirius smiled. "Well, you do look some-what thinner."

Melanie rolled her eyes while watching Sirius and Kara exchange words before she settled back and reached into the pocket of her white coat and pulled out a black felt tip marker and handed it to Remus. "I'm bored. Draw on my pants," she said.

Remus arched an eyebrow. "You're bored, and you want me to draw on your clothes? How about we play a nice game of Wizard Chess."

Melanie gave Remus one of her fabled are-you-effing-kidding-me looks. "Yeah...no. I suck at that game. Now draw," she said demandingly.

Sirius flicked his wrist like he was brandishing a whip and said, "Wa-tsch" to imply that Remus was whipped. Remus glared at Sirius before taking the marker from Melanie and began to draw random doodles on her hot pink pants.


	9. Chapter 6

**Peter Pettigrew**

(Author's Note: I, like a lot of other Harry Potter fans, despise Wormtail, and would rather wipe the snot from Voldemort's non-existent nose than actually write in his point-of-view. But, I also feel like he deserves a few moments of screen time, even if he is a rat-faced little git. So, I apologize to all those who would rather have him remain mostly ignored. He is a Marauder at this point and therefore deserves his fair share.)

Peter couldn't believe it. Why had Sirius said that they were going to sit in their own apartment and have a little "boy time"? Instead, he was forced to sit with Melanie and Kara in the far corner of the compartment while Kara read a book that she had taken from her trunk and Sirius made different coloured sparks shoot from his wand in a casual manner. Peter had wanted to say something, but he didn't want to come off as whiny. He should have known that Sirius would want to sit anywhere where there were females about, given his popularity with the opposite sex, and Remus would usually sit anywhere, no matter who was beside him.

Upon counting the amount of people in the compartment, Peter realized something. "Er, we're not going to have enough room for when Prongs and Lily return," he said revealing his realizations to them.

Sirius shrugged carelessly. "Well, that's good news for Prongs."

Peter was baffled, not knowing what his fellow Marauder was talking about. "What do you mean?"

Sirius sighed. "I swear, Wormtail, for a Seventh Year, you can be such a dunce sometimes. It means that Evans will most likely be forced to sit on Prongs's lap. I'm sure he'll enjoy that very much."

Peter grimaced. "But he might get an erection. I don't think Lily will like that very much."

Melanie, who was forcing Remus to draw shapes on her pants legs face-palmed. "Thank you for sharing, Wormy," she said with a sigh.

Kara, who often went extra silence whenever something even remotely sexual was brought up, blushed furiously. "Do we really have to discuss this now?" she asked looking up from her book.

Peter folded his arms across his chest huffily and fell silent. Silence ensued in the cabin, afterwards, except for the occasional jokes form Sirius and Remus. An hour passed, during which they bought food from the lady pushing the trolley filled with snacks down the train's corridor. Each bought their fair share, plus a little extra for James and Lily when they returned.

James returned not long after the trolley lady disappeared. He plopped down next to Sirius causing the seat to bounce a little. He grabbed a Pumpkin Pastry and tore the wrapper open before stuffing the entire thing into his mouth.

"Anthiinteinghppn?" he asked, but his mouth was full making him hard to understand.

Remus, who was the target for the flying pieces of cake that flew from James's mouth flicked a chewed up piece off of his cheek. "You know, Prongs. People like it better when you don't sound like a troll," he said as a hint that James should swallow his snack before speaking.

James gulped down the pastry. "Yeah, sorry. What I said was, 'anything happen around here'?"

Melanie shook her head. "Nope, not really. Other than Wormtail making a totally embarrassing statement," she said before speaking to Remus. "Dude, you better not be drawing hearts over there," she said lightly nudging him with her foot.

Peter's eyes widened and he looked at James with fear. "I-I didn't! I swear!" He was fearful of what James would say or do to him if he found out that Peter had basically made a sex joke about Lily and him (James, not Peter.)

James looked curiously at Peter who was now cowering and praying that someone would save him. Melanie seemed ready to rat him out at any second. The compartment door, then opened, and in walked Lily. Peter secretly thanked the stars for this beautiful goddess who had perfect timing. Lily appeared to be searching for a place to sit, yet each seat only held three.

"Yeah, thanks for saving me a seat, guys," she said sarcastically, glaring at Melanie and Kara.

James grinned stupidly and patted his lap. "Always room on the Potter Express, Evans," he said winking at her.

Lily snarled at him. "Yeah, I'd rather sit on a Mimblemus Mimbletonia than sit on your lap and have you make crude sex jokes the rest of the way," she retorted.

James blinked, clearly quite baffled. "Sex jokes? I don't know what you're talking about."

Peter could almost see why Lily despised James. He could be unbearably arrogant most of the time. Still, even he had to admit, it was fun watching them go at each other.

"Will you Huffle my Puff?" Melanie said as a suggestion for a sex joke.

Kara squeaked and held the book over her face more not wanting to contribute to the sex jokes. Sirius nearly choked on his Chocolate Frog in reaction to Melanie's joke. James thumped him on the back sympathetically. Peter saw this as a perfect opportunity and spoke up.

"Lily, why don't you take my seat and I'll go sit somewhere else," he offered as he began to stand. Someone had to play the nice guy because the others didn't appear to be willing to give up their seats any time soon.

Lily appeared to be weighing her options before she shrugged. "Yeah, sure," she said before she brushed past Peter.

Peter took a whiff of her perfume and sighed almost dreamily. It smelled very floral and her hair smelled like peaches. It was no wonder James was so enamored with her. Just the smell of her was intoxicating. He disappeared from the compartment before James or anyone else could see the expression on his face. He doubted he would win a fist fight with James, Sirius, or Remus or even the two girls. Hell, even Kara might be able to kick his ass and she was the most pacifist one of them all. With a sigh, he walked down the corridor to the compartment where they had stored their luggage before. It was deserted so he took a seat and tried his best to go to sleep until they arrived at Hogwarts.


	10. Chapter 6 Part 2

**Sirius Black**

(Author's Note: I apologize, once again, for any typos, spelling errors, or grammatical errors. Reviews and tips are greatly appreciated.)

Sirius watched as Peter left the compartment to go sit somewhere else so that Lily could have a place to sit. They still had a few hours before they arrived at Hogwarts. Why did the school have to be so far away? Still, even though the long trip was a great pain, it would be worth it in the end to be back. But as this was their final year, he was a little saddened as he knew that, unless he obtained a position on the staff, which was highly unlikely, he would not be coming back after this year.

After some time, Lily and James left to start their patrols again, leaving Sirius with more room on the seat once more save for Kara. He was growing rather bored. Remus had ceased drawing on Melanie's pants, which were now covered in various shapes and other doodles and now he seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep. He needed to do something to pass the time. Sirius looked at Remus.

"Oi, Moony. Fancy a little fun?" he asked not wanting to be alone in this.

Remus appeared uncertain. "What kind of fun?" he asked arching his right eyebrow upwards.

"Oh...I don't know. Why don't we see if we can find old Snivelly and entertain ourselves with him," Sirius said with a devilish grin.

Kara placed her book down on her lap. "I really don't think he deserves to be treated that way," she said softly.

Sirius rounded on her. "Come off it, Kara. He's a prat, a git, a greasy haired, hook nosed pompous asshole. Plus he makes it easy for us as well."

Kara looked to Remus for help, for he was usually the peace-keeper. But Remus merely shrugged. "Nah, I'm fine right here, you go have fun."

Sirius, ignoring Kara's protests, stood up and left the compartment. He decided to stop at the train's lavatory first for a quick trip regarding a calling of nature. As he entered, he couldn't believe his luck. Severus Snape came out of the bathroom, his greasy black hair hanging like limp curtains into his face. This was just too perfect.

"Well, well, well, hello, Snapey," he said grinning from ear to ear in a suspiciously innocent way.

Severus, upon seeing Sirius, quickly drew his wand. "What do you want, Black?" he demanded, his voice cold, but very much guarded.

Sirius put his hands up in surrender. "Snapey, Snapey, come now. I just want to talk, that's all. How've you been this summer?"

Severus kept his wand drawn, not giving an inch. "I'm not stupid, Black. You and your friends have tormented me for seven years. I know when you're up to no good."

Sirius had his wand hidden up his sleeve, ready to draw it at any moment. Sure enough, Severus raised his wand, ready to jinx Sirius.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Sirius cried suddenly flicking his own wand in Severus's direction. Severus's wand flew out of his hand only to be caught by Sirius.

Sirius threw his lead back and gave a barking laugh. "You really think you can get a one-up on me? I don't think so." He pointed his wand again and brought it down in a brandishing motion, this time at the taps, which burst causing water to start shooting everywhere, mostly on Severus, who soon became drenched. Sirius then pointed his wand again and yelled, "_Scourgify!" _A soapy smell filled the room and soap suds covered Severus, particularly the top of his greasy head.

"There now, I knew we'd finally take care of that oil spill on top of your head. You really should be thanking me," he said and turned to leave. But as he did, he stopped in his tracks and saw Lily standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Just what the hell is going on here? What are you doing to Severus?" she demanded.

Sirius casually played around with his wand causing a few sparks to fly everywhere. "Oh, nothing. I was just teaching Snapey, here the proper way to wash his hair."

Lily pushed past Sirius and pointed her wand towards the mess. _"Finite Incantatum!" _she called out. The suds disappeared and the water stopped spraying everywhere. She then flourished her wand once again. _"Reparo Maxima!" _The broken pieces of the sinks repaired themselves. She then rounded on Sirius, her hands on her hips.

"I should have known you would pull something like this. James and you can't go one year without causing trouble! You guys are just...Ugh! I have no idea how Kara even puts up with you or considers you her friend. You're always playing pranks, you have no respect for the rules, and you take advantage of your friends."

Sirius was taken aback. He had seen Lily mad, but not like this before. "Lily, calm down. It was just a harmless little prank. Seriously, I could have done much worse to him. And what do you mean I take advantage of my friends?" he asked.

"I'm talking about you making Kara do all of your home-work last year! The poor girl was swamped. She was exhausted!"

Sirius shrugged. "She wanted to. She offered to help me with my home-work."

Lily gave him a look of disgust. "Yes, to help you, not do it all for you! For someone who claims to be her friend, you treat her like shit."

"What? I don't!" Sirius protested.

Severus cleared his throat. "I don't need to hear this bull," he said as he pushed past Sirius and Lily. They both ignored him. Sirius turned back to Lily.

"Look, Lily. I know you're probably upset that James is Head Boy and that you're stuck with him. But that isn't my fault! So, I would appreciate it if you laid off. As for Kara...I don't know."

Lily sighed. "Fine, you're right. I'm sorry. How about we call a truce. If you promise to stop your pranks on Severus and to be a little nicer to Kara and not take advantage of her, I'll try to be a little nicer to you," she said holding out her hand for him to shake.

Sirius thought for a moment before grinning and taking Lily's hand firmly in his as a sign of their deal. "It's a deal," he said. But, what Lily didn't see, was that he had crossed his fingers on his other hand behind his back. Oh, he would keep his promise. He wouldn't prank Snape, at least not _while _she was around. After that, Lily left to continue her patrols and Sirius was left with a watery mess on the floor in the bathroom.


	11. Chapter 7 Part 1

Kara Hale

Kara bit down on her bottom lip worriedly as Sirius left the compartment to go torture Severus. She gave one last pleading look at Remus, hoping that he would at least attempt to stop his friend before he got into trouble. But when Remus didn't budge, Kara could only sigh and continued to read. About half an hour before they reached Hogwarts, everyone changed into their robes. The girls changed in the female lavatory and the boys changed in the male lavatory, which had been cleaned up prior to their entering.

Kara slipped on her black robes hemmed with blue to symbolize her House, which was Ravenclaw. The rest of the female uniforms consisted of a white button up long sleeve oxford blouse and a black vest with a different coloured border for each house; in Kara's case, blue. The skirt was black with pleats and came about three inches above her knees. Female students were required to wear socks or stockings. Kara wore a pair of simple black sheer stockings and her shoes were similar to Mary-Janes with a strap going over the top of each foot.

Lily and Melanie had almost identical uniforms, except theirs were hemmed with different colours to symbolize their own Houses, which were Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, respectively. However, instead of tights or socks, Melanie wore tight yellow and black striped leggings, which were tucked into a pair of ankle length black boots. Kara and Lily were both used to certain eccentricities in Melanie's outfits that they said nothing about it. In a way, she was showing off her school spirit by wearing her House colours.

After washing her hands, Kara followed Lily and Melanie back to the compartment where the boys were. Their uniforms were similar to the girls', except they wore black slacks instead of skirts. Although, seeing Sirius in a skirt might be rather amusing. He definitely had the legs for it. She stifled a giggle when Sirius looked at her questioningly. Standing up, she stuffed her book back into her trunk, glad that she wouldn't have to bother with it, since their stuff would be brought straight to their dormitories.

Sirius tugged on the hem of Kara's skirt causing her to make a squeaking sound of surprise. "Hey, stop it!" she protested.

"I swear, these are looking shorter and shorter every year," he said grinning licentiously at Kara and causing a blush to creep up onto her cheeks.

Kara was about to say something when each of them heard the squealing of the wheels, which indicated that the train was coming to a stop, signaling their arrival at Hogwarts. Once the train came to a complete stop, they each filed out of the cabin, and were joined by Peter who had already stepped out onto the platform.

A familiar voice called out, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" Hagrid was waving his lantern. As the groundskeeper, one of his jobs was to take the first years up to the castle. Kara remembered the first time she had met Hagrid. She had been utterly terrified of him. Yet, after he invited her to tea one evening, she discovered that he was really very nice. His cooking wasn't the best though, but he was often willing to listen to her talk for hours about a book she had just read or about a homework assignment, even if he sometimes didn't understand it. She discovered that he had been expelled in his third year for reasons he did not wish to disclose, but she never pressed the issue.

He glimpsed them and smiled. "All righ' there, you lot?" he asked in a friendly manner.

They waved at him to signify that they were just fine before going in the opposite direction where the horseless carriages were. Lily, Melanie, and Kara took one carriage and were joined by a fourth year Gryffindor while the Jame, Sirius, Remus, and Peter took another. However, to Kara, the carriages were not horseless, and were, instead, drawn by creatures known as thestrals. After having read up on these creatures, she discovered that they could only be seen by people who had seen death. Kara's grandmother had died when she was thirteen. Kara had been beside her death bed at that time. After Kara entered her third year, she was able to see the creatures, but she had not told anyone lest they think she was crazy.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry," Melanie wailed dramatically. "I sure as hell hope that Dumbledore's speech isn't too long-winded."

"But he always gives his speeches after we eat," Kara reminded her.

"Plus, I, for one, think that they're very enlightening," Lily added.

Melanie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," she said. Her stomach growled to prove her point.

Soon, the grand castle came into view. Kara felt a grin spread upon her face. It was a little upsetting that this would be their last year. But perhaps she would come back to take on a position as a professor's aide. The carriages came to a stop and the girls filed out. The fourth year went to join her fellow Gryffindor friends.

The Marauders joined the three girls. James tried to hold Lily's hand, but she snatched it away and gave him a piercing glare that would have killed him, if the phrase 'looks could kill' was really true. Upon reaching the Great Hall, Kara and Melanie separated from the group. Kara sat at the Ravenclaw table and Melanie sat at the Hufflepuff table, while the rest of them sat at the Gryffindor table. The levitating candle cast a very beautiful illuminating glow and the ceiling, which was bewitched to look like the sky outside, displayed hundreds of twinkling stars and a few clouds.

Once everyone was seated at their tables, the first years file in and the sorting began. There seemed to be a lot of them this year so it took a little while longer. After the last first year, Zalian, Chris had been sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood.

"I have a few start of term notices that I wish to address. But for now, I sense many empty bellies. Tuck in," he said.

Food appeared upon the tables. Kara was suddenly ravenous and grabbed whatever was within her reach. When her plate could not hold anymore, she began to eat.


	12. Chapter 7 Part 2

**Remus Lupin**

Remus sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Sirius, who was sitting next to James, who was sitting next to Peter. As the sorting commenced, James leaned over and spoke in a loud whisper. "Is it just me, or do they look smaller this year?" he said indicating the first years. Remus took the chance to glance at the first years being sorted.

"Not really," he said tilting his head as a young girl was sorted into Gryffindor. He clapped, along with the rest of the Gryffindor table as she sat down with another girl who had also been sorted into Gryffindor.

When the sorting ended, and the last first year had been sorted, Dumbledore stood up and said a few words before beginning the feast. There was an appreciative cheer as everyone began to tuck in. Remus went right for the steaks, which were cooked in various ways to suit the preferences of many students. Some steaks were well done, some were medium well, some were medium rare, and others were just plain rare. Remus grabbed about three rare steaks and piled them onto his plate.

"Hungry like the wolf?" Sirius asked playfully, wiggling his eyesbrows and Remus and smirking at him.

Remus swallowed what was in his mouth before grinning at his friend. "Well, you know, sweets, while delicious and satisfying for anyone with a sweet tooth, don't really fill me up that much, you know?"

James was tearing the meat off of a chicken leg with his teeth. "Hey, so are we still on this Friday?" he asked Remus.

There was a specific reason that James was asking Remus about Friday, for it was the start of the full moon. Every night on the full moon, James, Sirius, and Peter would shift into their animal forms and join Remus in the Shrieking Shack, which was located at the end of a passage way connected to the Whomping Willow. There, they would keep him company all night and prevent him from leaving the shack and putting someone else in danger. Remus remembered the last time he had put one of his friends in grave danger and he had never forgiven himself for it. He had a feeling that if James and Sirius hadn't been there, Melanie might not have been here today. Or, if she was, she would be just like him; being forced to hide out each full moon. He had never forgiven himself for what had happened that night. While, when in his werewolf form, he had no recollection of anything that happened, his friends had told him what had happened and Melanie had confirmed it. Remus had ended their relationship not long after.

Melanie did not hate him for it, which surprised Remus. Instead, she still wanted to hang out with him as his friend. But, even though he accepted this, he had made her promise never to visit the Shrieking Shack on the full moon nights; a promise she had never broken.

After the students had had their fill of dinner and dessert, Dumbledore stood up and waved his hand causing the dishes to be cleared. Professor McGonagall tapped on her wine goblet in order to quiet the students.

"Now that we are all full and our appetites are satisfied, I have a few start of term announcements before we all head off into dream land," Dumbledore said, his ringing throughout the Great Hall.

"First off, to the new students, welcome, and to our old students, welcome back. I would like to start with saying that the Forbidden Forest, on the edge of the grounds, is home to many dangerous creatures, and, therefore, forbidden to everyone who does not wish to suffer a most painful death, imaginable. Second, I would like to announce our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Prinius," he said.

A tall woman stood. She appeared to be in her mid thirties with curly light auburn hair, which fell to her waist and dark blue eyes. She was definitely attractive, which earned her a wolf-whistle from a few of the students, which caused most of the Great Hall to giggle. McGonagall cleared her throat loudly in disapproval. Professor Prinius merely smiled before sitting back down. Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing.

"I would also like to announce that a ball will be held during Christmas, at the end of the first term. Students below fifth year are not allowed to attend. However, an exception will be made if a younger student is invited by a fifth year, sixth year, or seventh year. The ball will take place on December twenty-fifth, so make sure to air out your dress robes and practice those dance moves. Now, on a more serious note, I would like to add a word of caution to you all. As I'm sure most of you know, there have been certain sightings of dark magic being done throughout the surrounding countryside. Now whilst you are safe at Hogwarts, I would like to warn each and every one of you to take extreme caution when outside of the castle grounds. We do not know the full details of what has been happening, but we still pride ourselves on keeping our students safe."

Dumbledore smiled warmly in order to put everyone at ease. "But do not fear, Hogwarts is certainly the safest place anyone can be. Now, with all of the announcements out of the way. Off you go! Pip pip!"

There was the sound of benches scraping as everyone stood up. Peter looked at the others fearfully. "Dark magic? Who do you think could be behind it all?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Remus shrugged. "Who knows, it could be anyone. But Dumbledore's right. Hogwarts is the safest place anyone can be. There are a lot of magical enchantments placed upon the school."

James nodded in agreement. "Well, anyways, I'd better get ready to start the nightly patrols. Being a Head Boy certainly has its perks."

Remus chuckled in amusement as James disappeared from the Great Hall to find Lily before he, himself, left the Great Hall as well and went up to the seventh floor to the Gryffindor Tower.


	13. Chapter 8 Part 1

**Lily Evans**

Lily stood from her seat at the Gryffindor table after Dumbledore wished everyone a good night. She could hear the two Gryffindor prefects calling for the first years to follow them. But, as of right now, it was her duty to report to the Deputy Headmistressm and the Head of Gryffindor House, Professor McGonagall for instructions on her nightly patrols. She bid the girl she had been sitting next to good night and left the Great Hall.

Leaning casually against the wall just outside was James. Her eyes narrowed with disgust. As long as he had known him, he had been arrogant to the point where it made her sick. "Well, let's go," she said with a resigned sigh stomping off to McGonagall's office with James following close behind. He said nothing, but his presence annoyed her. To think that she would have to work with him this year in their extra duties as Head Boy and Head Girl.

They reached McGonagall's office. Despite the fact that she was very strict, and not afraid to demote points from her own House, she remained one of Lily's favorite teachers. Her black hair, which was greying slightly, was pulled back in its trademark tight bun, and she wore emerald green robes.

"Good evening, Potter, Miss Evans," she said greeting them. Not one to beat around the bush, she got straight to the point. "Right, each night, the two of you will patrol a specific section of the castle for precisely two hours. You are in charge of disciplining students who are caught wandering around in that specific area. If you are unsure of which disciplinary action that you should take, you may come to either me, or the Head of that student's House, any questions?"

Lily and James shook their heads. McGonagall nodded approvingly. "Good, now tonight, the two of you will be patrolling the west wing on the fifth floor. Off you go then," she said dismissing them.

Lily thanked the professor and turned to head up to the fifth floor. When they reached it, Lily pulled out her wand and lit the tip of it using the _'Lumos' _spell. James did the same.

"Right, I guess the best way to do this is for each of us to start on one end of the wing. So I'll start on this end and you'll start on the other," she said pointing to indicate both of the ends.

James folded his arms across his chest and stared down at Lily, unsettling her. She pointed her wand towards the direction James should be going right now. "Well, go on, then!" she snapped. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, nothing really. But I'm sure you heard Dumbledore's announcement about the ball that's happening around Christmas."

Lily was slightly taken aback that he would ask such a thing. "Obviously, I'm surprised you were listening," she said with a dry laugh.

James stepped closer to her, so close that she could see the individual black threads in his robes. She lifted her eyes and looked up at him. James stood about a head taller than she did. Lily looked from his neck, watching his Adam's apple bob for a few seconds before lifting her eyes further to gaze upon his face. His thin lips were spread into an impish smile. His eyes were rather close together, something she hadn't noticed before and his round glasses sat upon his long narrow nose. His black hair was sticking up everywhere, quite messy, like he hadn't brushed it in ages. She had to admit that, even though she often grew annoyed when he ruffled it deliberately, the unkempt look worked for him.

When James leaned closer, Lily's heart began to pound, she gripped her wand tightly and drew herself back. Was he about to kiss her? He wouldn't be that thick-headed would he?

"Evans?" he asked, his tone husky.

"What is it, Potter?" she asked, half impatiently, half breathlessly.

He spread his lips, revealing white teeth before saying, "Will you go to the ball with me?"

Lily stepped back, clearly perturbed. "Go to the ball with you? Is that all you can think about? Seriously, Potter, I would have thought by now that you would get it through your thick skull that I'm not interested. Why do you even bother? I'm not the only girl in this school, you know."

James grinned arrogantly and Lily forgot about the weakness she had felt in her knees a few moments ago. "Come on, Evans. What do you have to lose? It's just for one night."

Lily clicked her tongue impatiently. "Quite frankly, I'd rather go with that Flobberworm we studied in our third year in Care of Magical Creatures," she said sneering at him.

James put his hand over his heart, feigning offense. "Don't tell me that I have competition," he said jokingly.

Lily answered back by shoving him in the direction of the other side of the wing. "Just...go, Potter, please. My answer is final, I'm not going to the ball with you. So I suggest you find someone who is more willing."

Without waiting for him to say anything back, she turned around, swept her hair off of her shoulder, and flounced off down the wing to begin her nightly patrols.


	14. Chapter 8 Part 2

**James Potter**

James had been thinking about it, for the opportunity had presented itself. Another few seconds and his lips could have touched hers. But, something held him back. Still, he smirked as he started patrols on the other end of the west wing on the fifth floor. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that he had made her go weak at the knees, briefly. Now, however, wasn't the time. It had to happen slowly. Day by day, week by week, month by month, he would overwhelm her until she saw, at last, that he wasn't just some arrogant big headed egotistical git.

Their patrols lasted for about two hours, filled with silence. When it came time for them to go to bed, they were relieved of their duties and headed up to the seventh floor to the Gryffindor tower. A portrait of a rather large woman in a light pink dress.

"Venemous Tentacula," James said, speaking the password.

The portrait swung open allowing them admittance inside. James, playing the gentleman, allowed Lily to crawl through the hole first. Really, it was so he could check out her backside, before he crawled in, himself.

"Good night, Potter," Lily muttered before she stomped up to the girls' dormitory.

James chuckled in amusement. He had to admit, Lily was very cute when she was angry or flustered. Stretching, he headed up to the boys' dormitory. When he got there, he discovered that his friends, along with the other seventh year boys were all asleep. Sirius's snores were especially prominent. They didn't bother James much, anymore, and he was able to tune them out when he slept. Knowing that Sirius could sleep through a hurricane, he did not take care to be quiet as he pulled off his robes. Once in just his boxers, he crawled underneath the covers of his four-poster bed. It didn't take him very long to fall asleep.

The next morning, James awoke, along with Remus and Peter. Not surprisingly, Sirius was still asleep, snoring like a bear. James sat up on the edge of his bed and ground the sleep out of his eyes and stretched before he stood up and rummaged through his trunk for a clean pair of robes.

"So, who's going to wake up Padfoot?" Remus asked as he sat on the edge of the bed to tie the laces of his shoes.

James looked from Remus to Peter, who was underneath his bed searching for something, so all that could be seen was his rather large back end. He shrugged. "I guess I'll do it."

James walked over to Sirius's bed and gently shook his friend. "Hey, Pads. Get up, man. You're gonna miss breakfast."

But Sirius snored on, even louder, if that was possible. James shook him again, this time harder. "Paddy-addy-addy." He pushed down on the mattress with his hands and began to bounce it up and down slightly. Sirius only grumbled and muttered a few curse words before throwing the blanket over his head in defiance.

James looked up at Remus, who shrugged, but seemed very amused, then looked back at the lump of blankets, which was his stubborn best friend. "Okay, Pads, you leave me no choice." He slowly peeled the blanket off of Sirius's head and turned around and began backing up until he was practically hovering just over his face. Clenching his teeth, and straining, James allowed himself to, very loudly, pass gas, right over his best friend. Remus and Peter looked at James in horror, but it seemed to have done the trick. Sirius began to sniff around before making a retching noise, and sat up abruptly.

"Ugh! Seriously, dude?" he shoved James away from him, who was doubled over with laughter. "Damnit, I think I got some in my mouth!" He began to cough and sputter.

James danced around triumphantly. "I knew that would get you up. So, how did it taste?"

Sirius flipped his friend off. "Merlin's beard, I hope you never do that to Evan's."

"Nah, you're a special case," James replied smugly. "Now get dressed, I really want to get down to breakfast before it ends."

Muttering curses, Sirius, who also slept in his boxers, began to pull on his robes. He wore his tie a little more loosely than the others did and kept the two top buttons of his button up shirt, unbuttoned. Remus and Peter had already gone ahead of them to the Great Hall, but James decided to wait on Sirius who was very slow.

"Damnit, man, hurry up," James whined impatiently as Sirius began to run a brush through his hair, slicking it back slightly, except for his fringe, which hung forward in his face, just over his eyes, casually.

Throwing the brush back down onto his bed, Sirius stood up. "I'm ready, you prat. Not all of us can pull off the 'bed-head look'," he said before James and he left the dorms and began to head down to the Great Hall.


	15. Chapter 9 Part 1

Melanie Sparks

(Author's Note: Thank you for the wonderful reviews, everyone. I'm glad to see some people enjoying this fan fiction. I actually have a small role available in this fan fiction, for anyone who can provide me with the correct answer to this question.  
"In which book was the name "Lovegood" first mentioned?"  
Please PM me your answer. Whoever is the first person to get the correct answer will win a small part.)

Melanie headed down the steps of her dormitory and into the Hufflepuff common room the next morning. Her robes appeared normal enough, even with basic black stockings. However, she also wore a pair of bright purple leg warmers, and her nails were reminiscent of skittles, as they were painted different neon colours. She wore no make-up, except for some very bright neon pink lipstick. A few of her fellow Hufflepuffs stared at her, a few of them even snickered behind her back. But Melanie ignored them, having gotten used to their making fun of her a long time ago.

The Hufflepuff common room was located not too far from the kitchens in one of the basements of the school. It was decorated in earthy tones with yellow walls and brown leather furnishings. Over the fireplace, was a large portrait of, what was presumed to be, one of the founders of the school, Helga Hufflepuff. There were also two long tunnels, which led to the boys' dormitory and the girls' dormitory. The earth-like theme fit the House in general. For it was said that each of the four Houses represented one of the four basic elements. Hufflepuff represented the element of Earth, Gryffindor represented Fire, Ravenclaw represented Wind, and Slytherin represented Water.

Melanie exited the common room. Instead of a portrait that demanded a password, the only way into the Hufflepuff common room was through a series of barrels. One had to tap the correct barrels to the tune "Helga Hufflepuff" in order to gain entry. Failure to do so would result in the imposter being drenched in vinegar. Melanie remembered in her third year, when she had feigned distress, and had managed to lure an unsuspecting Slytherin down, telling him that his friend was stuck on the other side. She had succeeded in telling him which barrels to tap, only the were the completely wrong ones, and he had ended up drenched about three times in a row, for she had continued telling him the wrong barrels. It was one of her finer moments, even though it had earned her a one week's detention of cleaning out chamber pots in the Hospital Wing. Still, it had been worth it.

With her book satchel draped across her shoulder, she went towards the Great Hall. Instead of sitting at the Hufflepuff table, she squeezed herself in the midst of Remus, Sirius, and James, nearly pushing Peter off the bench in the process.

"So, how are the three sexiest men in the entire school?" she asked with a hint of flirtatiousness in her voice as she batted her eyelashes at them.

"Hey, what about me?" Peter protested, for she hadn't lumped him in with the sexy ones.

Melanie blinked once...twice before repeating. "Like I said, how are the three sexiest men in this entire school?" causing Peter to fold his arms across his chest and pout, which Melanie paid no attention to.

Remus gave a small and very shy smile that Melanie absolutely thought brought out his good looks even more. "Hey, Mel. Sleep good?" he asked with a hint of curiosity as he studied his schedule. Since they were now in their final year and in N.E.W.T. classes, their schedules were a bit different for there were some classes that they would not be taking this year. In Melanie's case, she would not be taking History of Magic, having gotten only an Accepting grade. She would also not be taking Divination, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies, having done dreadfully in all three. Melanie leaned over and peered at Remus's schedule.

"Looks like we'll be taking Transfiguration together and...Charms," she said as she nosily read over his schedule.

"Yeah, too bad we have to endure Potions with the Slytherins," Sirius grumbled as he piled ketchup onto his sausages.

Lily and Kara also joined them at the table, despite the fact that Kara was in Ravenclaw.

"I'm a little disappointed in you, Melanie," Lily said rather haughtily. "If you would have tried just a little bit harder, you might have passed those three classes."

Melanie clicked her tongue. "Oh come off it, Lils. When are we ever going to use Divination in real life? You know I don't believe in being able to predict the future or prophecies or that sort of thing. Hell, the year before last, our teacher said that I would suffer a terrible accident, and I'm still here alive and well aren't I?" she asked.

She stole a sausage from Sirius's plate and bit it in half. "Besides," she said with her mouth full, I don't see you picking on Kara. She had to drop History of Magic and Potions."

"At least Kara tried," Lily argued. "At least she studied."

Melanie was about to retort when James spoke up. "So, Evans, have you thought about whether you want to go with me to the ball or not?"

Lily glared piercingly at James. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, Potter, I'm not going out with you. Geez, you can be so thick sometimes." She picked up her book bag and walked out of the Great Hall to go to her class.

Melanie liked Lily well enough, but sometimes the girl could be so bossy to the point where it was unbearable. She was always giving Melanie a hard time about her grades. Not to mention, she seemed to be a bit of a teacher's pet. Still, there was no better shoulder to cry on, or no better person to listen to you talk about your troubles. That had to outweigh all the negative aspects, right?

Melanie finished eating her breakfast before standing up. "I guess we should get on to Charms now," she said shouldering her book bag once again. Remus, Peter, and Kara stood as well. Sirius and James said that they would be along as soon as they finished. Charms was perhaps one of Melanie's favorite classes. Professor Flitwick was considered one of the more fun teachers. When she got into the classroom, she sat down next to Lily and was joined by Kara.

"Sorry for going off on you like that," Lily said remorsefully.

Melanie shrugged. "No harm done. Not all of us can be smart like Kara or you."

"I'm not smart," Kara said in protest. "I failed two classes remember?"

Melanie did not think this mattered, as despite this, Kara still made good marks in her other classes. Flitwick came in and signaled the start of class. James and Sirius came in about two minutes later.

"Five points from Gryffindor," Flitwick said firmly. "I should think that the two of you would learn to be on time."

Melanie saw that Lily wanted to kill James and Sirius right about now. Flitwick turned back to the class. "All right, the spell I'm going to teach you today Tongue-Tying curse. Can anyone tell me what it does?"

Kara, Lily, and Remus's hands shot up into the air. Flitwick called on Kara as she was the first one.

"The Tongue-Tying curse is a jinx that binds the targets tongue to keep him or her from talking about a specific subject," she said.

"Excellent, five points to Ravenclaw," Flitwick said approvingly. "Now, can anyone tell me the incantation? Yes, Miss Evans?" he added as Lily raised her hand.

"Mimble wimble," she said with confidence.

"Good job, take five points to Gryffindor." Lily smiled, as she had earned back the five points that James and Sirius had lost. "Now then, today we will be practicing the spell. I would like you all to divide into teams of two and practice the spell. Anyone who can successfully perform the spell before the end of class will receive no homework."

Everyone scrambled to find their partners. Melanie saw Lily partner with Kara so that James wouldn't have a chance. Melanie stood from her chair and went over to Remus. "Partner with me," she said, sitting down next to him.

"Er...all right," he said. Peter was forced to partner with a particularly chubby pimply faced Gryffindor girl who looked like his female counterpart almost.

"Everyone got their partners?" Flitwick squeaked. "Yes? Good! And...begin!"


	16. Chapter 9 Part 2

**Peter Pettigrew**

Peter looked hopefully at his friends, praying that they would partner with him. Instead, however, he ended up partnering with a rather unattractive pimply faced Gryffindor, who batted her eyelashes in a coquettish manner. He cringed and muttered a few curse words underneath his breath. Lily had partnered with Kara and was now performing the tongue-tying curse on her quite successfully as all Kara could do was let out a few retching noises as her tongue folded back into her mouth, preventing her from speaking. Melanie was doing the completely wrong wand movements and only served to expanding Remus's head like a balloon instead of rendering him speechless. James and Sirius were doing quite well. If you count the fact that they were jinxing other people behind their backs with the curse, causing a lot of confusion.

Peter's own partner raised her wand. "Don't worry, I won't bite. Unless, you want me to," she said winking at him.

Peter suppressed a shudder right before his tongue shrank back and rolled towards the back of his mouth. It took about one minute for his tongue to unfurl. After he regained his speech, he raised his wand and pointed it at his partner. _"Mimble wimble!" _he said. However, instead of her becoming speechless, her tongue began to expand and she began to make choking sounds. Peter's eyes widened. This wasn't good!

Flitwick took notice of this and came running over. "Mr. Pettigrew, what did you do? Remember, it's a light flick, not a sharp jab," he reminded Peter before waving his wand and causing the girl's tongue to shrink back to normal before looking up towards James and Sirius. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. Don't think I didn't see that. I will not take any points away, but you are both going to be receiving detention."

"Sorry," Peter mumbled to his partner.

The girl only smiled at him. "Oh, it's all right, darling. But I think my tongue needs a little kissing. Would you be willing to make it feel better?"

Peter shrank back. "Er...no thanks," he said. "I'm getting a cold. I wouldn't want to get you sick." Truth be told, he'd rather be kissing Lily right now, to feel her lips against his. But he knew that it would never happen. But...maybe...no, it was too risky and if he was caught, he would definitely be in a lot of trouble.

After about another hour of performing the spell on each other, the class ended. The only people who didn't receive any homework were Lily, Kara, and Remus. The rest of the class, Peter, James, Sirius, and Melanie, included, were to write a two parchment essay on the origins of the Tongue-Tying Curse and its proper wand movements and incantation. Their next few classes, which was Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, also served to pile even more homework on them. A free period was available for most of them afterwards, except for Remus and Lily, who headed off to History of Magic.

**Sirius Black**

Sirius couldn't believe the homework that had been piled on them. Two rolls of parchment for Charms, a roll and a half for Herbology, and two rolls for Care of Magical Creatures. While Remus and Lily headed off to History of Magic, he turned to the others.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to head off to the Quidditch pitch for some practice before our next class. "You guys coming?" he asked them.

James stepped forward. "You know I will. Besides, I need someone to bewitch Quaffles to fly at me while so I can practice catching them and scoring goals. Wormtail, want to be our practice Keeper?" he asked Peter.

Peter appeared rather uncertain before shaking his head. "Actually, I need to go ask Professor Slughorn a few questions," he said.

Sirius shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned to Kara who was clutching her books to her chest. He was sure that she wouldn't want to, but it didn't hurt to try. "Kara? Feel like helping us out?" She wasn't as good of a flier as James and himself, but she was fairly decent on a broom.

"Um...no thanks," Kara said timorously. "I think I should get to the library and get a head start on this home-work we have so far."

Sirius hid his disappointment before glancing longingly at Melanie. "Come on, Mel. We really need a Keeper to practice with. Pretty please?" He stuck out his lower lip pouting and made a noise that sounded like whimpering."

Melanie lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "Please, Sirius. I have a dog who does that all the time, so I'm immune to the puppy-dog cuteness," she said. "But, since I have nothing better to do, I guess I can help you guys out. I'll meet you guys out on the Quidditch Pitch in five minutes," she said.

"Excellent!" Sirius said beaming. "Let's go, Prongs."

James and Sirius went up to their dormitories to grab their brooms, both of which were Nimbus 1001's and headed downstairs, and outside towards the Quidditch Pitch. While waiting for Melanie to meet up with them, Sirius noticed that they had accumulated a bit of an audience in the form of a few girls. One of them was in Ravenclaw and the other two were in Gryffindor. James leaned over and whispered to Sirius.

"I met that one on the train," he said pointing to the attractive Ravenclaw.

"She's quite a looker," Sirius said appreciatively. "Might as well go say hi," he added before mounting his broom and kicking off. He flew towards the stands where the girls were and stopped in front of them. They sighed dreamily and he rewarded them with his famous crooked smile causing them to giggle.

"How are you beautiful ladies doing this fine day?" he asked in a casually coy tone of voice.

"About to watch you fine Gryffindors practice Quidditch," one of the Gryffindor's purred.

Sirius took notice of her. She was probably the most attractive of the lot with dark brown hair and light green eyes. Her legs were long and shapely and she had, what was known as, an hourglass figure with a small stomach, but enticingly wide hips. The other Gryffindor was attractive as well, but she was just too skinny and the Ravenclaw wasn't exactly his type. Sirius wasn't all that into blondes.

"So, what's your name?" he asked the exceptionally attractive Gryffindor.

"It's Giselle Casteel," she said, curling her thick and red toned lips upwards in an alluring smile.

"Well, Giselle," Sirius said in an equally alluring tone. "Would you like to accompany me to Hogsmeade this Saturday?" he asked.

The other two girls appeared positively envious as Giselle nodded. "Sure, I'll see you then," he said before winking at the other two girls to show them that he didn't forget about them and then descended back down to the ground where James, and now Melanie were waiting.

"Finished screwing around?" Melanie asked. She had an expression on her face that Sirius couldn't place. It was a cross between annoyance and disappointment, although he couldn't see why.

"Yep," he said. "We need you to guard the goalposts on the right end of the field."

Melanie kicked off into the air and flew off towards the indicated goalposts.

"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked James, nodding towards Melanie.

"Beats me," James said cluelessly. "Let's not worry about it."

Sirius agreed with James. He assumed that maybe Melanie was disappointed that he hadn't asked her out. But he couldn't really be bothered with her at the moment. The practice soon commenced.


	17. Chapter 10 Part 1

**Kara Hale**

Kara worked in the library for that hour on her homework. Five minutes before the next class, which was Transfiguration, she packed up her book bag. She had managed to finish the Charms Essay and three-quarters of the Herbology one before it was time for her to leave. Shouldering her bag, she began to walk out of the library, saying good-bye to Madam Pince, the librarian, on the way out. Madam Pince, who was known for not being very friendly, merely grunted in acknowledgment.

"Where do you think you're going, Hale?" a voice asked. In Kara's path, stepped two Slytherin boys. They were tall and burly, one with curly dark hair and the other with lighter hair that resembled a mop on top of his head.

Kara gripped her wand tightly. "Please, let me pass," she said in a timid tone of voice.

"Please, let me pass," the blonde one mimicked tauntingly. "What do you think, MacNair, should we let her pass?"

"I don't think so, Caius. Not unless she speaks the password," the dark haired one said, grinning maliciously.

Kara could feel herself growing the tiniest bit impatient, along with her fear of what they would do to her. "I really don't have time for this. Please, let me go or I will be forced to jinx you," she said.

The Slytherin boys threw their heads back in unison and roared with laughter. "You, jinx us? I don't think so," MacNair said. "You couldn't even jinx a fly that was pestering you. What makes you think you're any match against us?"

The two of them raised their wands. _"Stupefy!"_ they both cried in unison in attempts to stun her.

Not wanting to be forced to miss her next class just because she was stunned, Kara lifted her wand quickly. _"Protego!" _A magical shield was created in front of her, which caused the hexes to rebound back upon the two Slytherins and hit them full force, knocking them back a few feet and rendering them unconscious as they slumped down to the floor.

Kara winced. "I'm sorry," she said remorsefully. Despite the fact that she'd had no other choice, but to defend herself, she still felt bad that she'd had to do it.

"What the devil is going on here?" McGonagall came rushing by. She rounded on Kara. "Explain yourself, now!" she demanded, for the only aprt she had witnessed was the two Slytherin boys being hit with the Stupefy hex.

Kara began to stammer. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. It was as if she had been hit with a Tongue-Tying Curse. "Um...well, I...um..."

"It was not her fault, Professor," a cold voice said. Out from behind a bookshelf stepped Severus Snape. How long had he been there? Kara wondered.

"What do you mean, Snape?" Professor McGonagall asked crispily.

"Those two boys tried to stun her. She merely cast a Protego charm in order to defend herself," he said.

Kara looked at Severus in great astoundment as McGonagall walked over to the unconscious Slytherins and took their wands. Muttering a few words, she was able to see the incantations, which they had both used previously.

"Hm," she said straightening up. "It seems you are telling the truth, Mr. Snape. However, be that as it may, no magic is allowed between classes. These two will receive a one week detention for attacking a student and not be allowed to go to Hogsmeade for the first visit and lose ten points from Slytherin. Miss Hale, you will lose five points from Ravenclaw and receive detention tonight. Please come to my office tonight so that we may discuss your punishment."

Kara nodded, she felt that this punishment was fair. For, even though she had defended herself, she had still broken a school rule, and she should not have been exempt from it.

"I suggest the two of you get to your next classes now," McGonagall said before turning, her robes billowing out around her, and walking briskly in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom.

Kara looked up at Severus who began to walk in the completely different direction towards Arithmancy. "Wait!" she called.

Severus stopped, but did not turn around. "Why did you defend me back there?" she asked. "I am, after all, a 'filthy mudblood'. Why would you do that?"

"Do not get me wrong. You are a filthy mudblood. I just cannot stand to see anyone gang up on others for no reason. Besides, that Protego charm you performed was rather impressive," he said. Kara could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile form upon his lips, but it might have just been a trick of the light.

Without saying another word, Severus continued on down the hall, leaving Kara rather shocked before she turned and began to walk towards Transfiguration. When she got into the classroom, she saw that the others were there. Walking to one of the center tables, she sat down next to Melanie who looked at her in surprise. But before she could ask why Kara was the last one to arrive, McGonagall cleared her throat loudly and the class began.


	18. Chapter 10 Part 2

**James Potter**

James put away his wand, which he had been using in a fake "sword dueling" match against Sirius as McGonagall turned to face the class. If there was one teacher he feared the most, it was the Head of Gryffindor House. She was not afraid to put her own students in line, even if it meant docking every single point from Gryffindor and causing them to lose the House Cup.

McGonagall tapped the blackboard with her wand and the words _Human Transfiguration _appeared in large white calligraphic letters. "Right, this term we will be learning about the most advanced form of Transfiguration magic, known as Human Transfiguration. This includes the minor and simple changes such as changes in hair colour, changes in eye colour, even changes in skin tone. Can anyone tell me the more advanced branches of Human Transfiguration?"

Lily raised her hand. "The more advanced branches are Animagi, which is the ability to transform into a certain animal at will, Gender swapping, which is to change one's sex. For example, a male may be able to transform into a female or vice versa, females into males. Age transfiguration is also included in the more advanced branches of Human Transfiguration. So, one could transfigure an eighty year old man into an eight year old child, or an eight year old child into an eighty year old man."

"Very good, Miss Evans, ten points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said proudly. "Now, can anyone tell me the difference between Human Transfiguration and a Metamorphmagus? Yes, Miss Stone?"

A familiar voice touched James's ears. He craned his head slightly and saw the same Ravenclaw girl who had greeted him on the train and who was at the Quidditch practice that Sirius, Melanie, and himself had been to.

"Human Transfiguration requires a great deal of concentration and a wand. If the person uses the wrong wand movements, or says the wrong incantation, he or she could end up in a spot of trouble. A Metamorphmagus is someone who is born with the ability to change their appearance at will. It does not really require a wand, nor does it require very much concentration. A Metamorphmagus can also change their appearances as young as infancy, while Human Transfiguration can take years to master. A Metamorphmagus can keep their new appearances indefinitely, while Human Transfiguration, sans the Animagi branch, is temporary and wears off after a little while."

"Very good, ten points to Ravenclaw," McGonagall said. "Now, today we will be starting off with the most simple form of Human Transfiguration, which is eye changing. You will notice that I've put some mirrors on your desk. Your job this class is to Transfigure your eyes successfully three times before the class is over. Those who succeed will receive no homework. You may begin."

James lifted his wand and pointed his temple. He began to concentrate rather hard. Eyes like hers, beautiful emerald orbs that sparkled when she was happy and flared when she was angry, eyes that he longed to gaze into lovingly as he brought his lips towards hers.

"Oi, Prongs. I know I'm a sexy beast, but I don't swing that way," James heard Sirius say, laughing.

James opened his eyes and saw that he was about a foot away from kissing Sirius, his lips puckered.

"Oh, sorry, man," James said, a little dazed.

"Thinking about Evans again?" Sirius asked rather sympathetically. He had managed to turn one eye purple, while the other remained gray.

James sighed. "Yeah, I don't know what to do. Do I just give up and let her be?"

Sirius gazed into his hand mirror, most likely trying to figure out how to transfigure his other eye. "You're going to do whatever you want, but if I were you, I'd try dating other people. I mean, it's not like you have to tie yourself down to anyone. Play the field, you don't have to get into a very serious relationship."

"Well, that'll be easy to do," James said sarcastically. "There are loads of girls who would kill each other for the chance to be my girlfriend. But they just don't have that charm that Lily has. She's beautiful, smart, witty. She's one of the only girls that has been immune to my charms. It's...refreshing, but also rather tiresome at the same time."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Look, no one said you had to find a permanent replacement. Test the waters a bit. Take that girl over there."

Sirius nodded towards Miss Stone. "Yeah, what about her?" James asked.

Sirius hit James over the back of the head. "She's been staring at you this entire class. She also stared at you during our little Quidditch Practice. It's obvious that she has a thing for you. She'd be happy to go on a few dates with you. At the very least, you'll have a date to the ball."

James let out a resigned sigh. "I still don't know. I guess I'll think about it."

Sirius patted James on the back sympathetically. "That's the spirit. Remember, it's not like you're going to marry any of these girls. You deserve a little fun."

James smiled, albeit uncertainly. Class ended a little while later. James had managed to transfigure his eyes all three times, so he received an exemption from his homework. It did not surprise him, his wand was perfect for Transfiguration. Kara and Lily were also exempt. Surprisingly, Remus wasn't, having only transfigured his eyes once. It was a nice change.

The next class was Potions, which James was exempt from, having only received an Acceptable in it during his fifth year. Kara would also not be taking Potions this year?

"So, going to the library again?" he asked Kara who stood beside him as they watched their friends head off to Potions.

"I don't think so," Kara said adjusting the straps to her book bag.

"Hello, James," a familiar voice said.

James looked away from Kara and into the clear blue eyes of the Ravenclaw girl who seemed to be haunting him.

"Hello, there," James said, running his fingers through his hair and ruffling the back of it.

The Ravenclaw girl, gave a passing glance to Kara. "Afternoon, Kara," she said.

"Hi," Kara said demurely. She turned to James. "Well, I'm off to go do something else. I'll see you later, James."

"Yeah, see you later," James said not looking at Kara as she walked away, so he did not see the mixed expressions of worry and disapproval on her face.

"I'm so sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Ruby Stone," the beautiful Ravenclaw girl said.

James thought that this name would be better suited for Lily, with her red locks, but he did not say that. He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Listen, would you like to hang out this Saturday? We could meet at Honeyduke's and go from there," she asked.

This was where James hesitated. In his mind, he imagined that it was Lily he was spending the day with. But Sirius's advice was grafted into his memories. What could it hurt? It was just one day, and it wasn't like he would end up tied down to her. Not to mention, she was rather attractive. In a way, her beauty rivaled Lily's somewhat.

"This Saturday? Sure, why not?"

"Excellent!" Ruby beamed. "I'll see you then." Before she left, she surprised James by leaning up to the tips of her toes and lightly pecking him boldly on the cheek.

James watched her flounce away before shaking his head in bemusement and heading towards the Gryffindor Common room.


	19. Chapter 11 Part 1

**Lily Evans**

Lily found it rather refreshing that she did not have to endure Potions class with James. While he was adept at making potions, he had still only received an 'Acceptable' passing grade on his O.W.L.s, and Professor Slughorn only accepted students with 'Exceeds Expectations' or above. Lily, herself, had achieved an Outstanding. As she entered the classroom, Slughorn beamed happily at her.

"Ah, Miss Evans, good to see you again this year. I trust you had a good summer?" Slughorn asked.

"Yes, sir. It was rather enjoyable," Lily replied. It was known around Hogwarts that Professor Slughorn tended to play favorites and often invited those exceptional students to join his little group known as _The Slug Club. _Lily had managed to earn her own spot in the first year, and, even though the dinner parties that he threw were mostly the same each time, Lily found that she enjoyed them. Another interesting tidbit about Slughorn, was that he was the Head of Slytherin House, but didn't seem to hold any prejudice against Muggle-borns, like herself.

Professor Slughorn awaited the arrival of the rest of the students. Melanie and Remus stood behind one of the large tables with her and Sirius and Remus stood behind the one beside them. More students filed in, including Severus Snape, himself. He, too, was very skilled in potion-making.

"Everyone here?" Slughorn asked, pausing very briefly to make sure that everyone was present before continuing. He lifted the lid off of a small cauldron to reveal a potion with a pearl-like sheen to it that was giving off an interesting aroma.

Lily leaned forward slightly and took a whiff of the potion. She could smell a familiar scent of Old Spice Cologne, a very musky after shave, and Cool Mint mouthwash. Where had she smelled those things before? She shook her head. It most likely wasn't important.

"Can anyone tell me what potion this is?" Slughorn asked.

Sirius raised his hand. "That is Amortentia. It's supposed to be the most powerful love potion in the world. The potion smells differently to different people, according to what attracts them most." Lily noticed that Sirius began blushing. "I smell the scent of a new book, some floral scent and..." his blush deepened, "Apricots."

"Very good. Take five points to Gryffindor!" Slughorn said. "Now, as we all know, love is an emotion, it cannot be induced through spell or potions. What Amortentia does, instead, is create a powerful infatuation, an obsession if you will. It is also known as one of the most dangerous potions in the world. The drinker would take his own life just to satisfy the one he loves if she demands it. It is also the potion we will be making today. You will find it on page ten of your Potion books," he said. "You have about one hour. The person who creates the perfect Amortentia potion, will receive fifty points for their House and a little something extra. Ready, and...begin!"

Everyone began to scurry around for the ingredients. Melanie sidled over to Lily, who was adjusting the flames over her fire. "Can I borrow some of your Frozen Ashwinder eggs?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Lily said. She began adding a few ingredients.

"Wicked potion, don't you think?" Melanie asked. "To think, the smell changes according to each person's preference. I mean, I can smell something that's similar to tea leaves, butterbeer, and the scent of rain." She looked over towards Remus. "Oi, Remus. What do you smell?" she asked with great interest.

Remus bent low over his potion. "None of your business, Melanie," he muttered, blushing.

Lily did not look up from her potion. It wasn't the first time that she played witness to Melanie flirting with Remus, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Quite frankly, Lily thought that Melanie was trying too hard. They had gone out in their fourth year and had broken up not long into their relationship. One would think that Melanie would move on, but she hadn't. Then again, neither had Remus. But, since neither of them were hiding in corners in feeble positions, sucking their thumbs, she supposed that it didn't matter.

Lily continued working for another hour before Slughorn called the lesson to the end. "Right, let's see if some of you managed to create the perfect Amortentia."

Lily looked around as Slughorn made his rounds throughout the classroom. She noticed that her potion was the only one that had the correct sheen and was giving off an unique combination of scents. Melanie's potion was completely black and gave off the smell of sulfur. Slughorn wrinkled his nose at it before stopping in front of Lily's potion. He took a great big whiff of it and exhaled almost dreamily.

"Once again, Miss Evans does it! Congratulations, you earn fifty extra points for Gryffindor and this!" He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out, what appeared to be, a small giftcard. "This will earn you a special discount at Honeyduke's. I was going to give you a small vial of Amortentia, but, while it is not forbidden to make, it is still forbidden to sell, or give away, or drink. So, this will have to do instead."

Lily found herself laughing lightly. "It's perfect, Professor, thank you." She pocketed the giftcard quickly before Melanie could grab it, for Lily knew that her female friend had a very strong sweet tooth.

"That's all for today class, I shall see you all Wednesday!" he said.

Everyone began to file out and began heading to Lunch. It was a good thing too, Lily was starved.


	20. Chapter 11 Part 2

**Melanie Sparks**

Despite the fact that Melanie had passed it off as nothing, she could not get the scents that plagued her sense of smell from the Amortentia. The scents were familiar, especially the scent of rain. Melanie rested her elbow on the table, and her cheek in the palm of her right hand as she lightly nibbled on her turkey, bacon, and cheese sandwich. There had been a lot of rainy days and nights, but there was one particular one that stood out above the rest. It had happened three years ago, on a rainy night when everyone had been asleep.

_**Flashback...**_

A fourteen year old Melanie stood before Remus who had his back turned towards her. His shoulders were hunched, and his hands were clenched tightly in his pockets, as if he was fighting against the biting cold. But Melanie knew better.

"Remus, is something wrong? You never wander outside this late, not with the prefects and teachers roaming about," Melanie said, her voice laced with concern.

Remus said nothing. He had been acting strange for the past couple of days, ever since...what happened two weeks ago. Melanie had noticed that he had been avoiding her, and would often make excuses in order to get out of spending time with her. Melanie approached Remus and gingerly placed a hand upon his left shoulder.

"Remus, if this is about what happened a few weeks ago, it's all right. I forgive you. You had no control over your actions."

Remus rounded on her then. "Exactly! You weren't hurt this time. But next time...next time James and Sirius might not be able to fend me off from you! Don't you see, Mel? We can't be together! The longer we're together, the more chances arise for me to really hurt you, or worse! I can't put you through that."

To Melanie, it felt like a Bludger had hit her dead center in the chest. Surely Remus was still just freaking out about the incident and would come to his senses later.

"But I wasn't hurt, and it was an accident. I mean, maybe I shouldn't have followed you guys. It was really my fault. I promise, it won't happen again." She approached him once more, but Remus stepped back and shook his head remorsefully.

"I'm sorry, Melanie. I can be your friend, but I cannot be your boyfriend. I care about you too much to put you in danger. Please know that this is not your fault. If anything, it is mine. I allowed you to get too close to me."

He stepped forward and took her hands into his kissing both of them and causing a bright red tinge to touch Melanie's cheeks. Remus then embraced her tightly, his arms encircling around her securely. Melanie inhaled his scent as she struggled to contain her tears, but a lone one escaped. Remus pulled away and smiled, softly touching her cheek and wiping the tears away.

"I don't ever want to see another tear on your face, Melanie. You're far more beautiful when you're happy and carefree. That is the Melanie I want to see from now on."

Melanie couldn't help, but smile. "I promise, Remus, you'll always be a very dear friend to me. You'll never lose me," she said in a promising tone of voice.

Melanie had cried into her pillow that night, muffling the sounds of her sobs so that no one else would hear and wonder what was wrong with her. She was also true to her word. She had not let Remus, nor the others see her tears or her sadness since that day. Even though they weren't together, Remus did not want to lose her, and she would do everything she could to make sure that that didn't happen.

_**End Flashback**_

While Melanie hadn't really dated anyone else after her break-up with Remus, she was very happy. She went on about her daily life. She even managed to hang out with Remus on a casual basis without bursting into tears every few minutes. But now the feeling seemed to be returning, stronger than ever. Melanie wanted to ignore them. Yet, since their sixth year, every time she looked at him, she felt that familiar twinge, like she wanted to be something more than his friend.

"Um, you're kind of making it rain," said a sixth year Hufflepuff boy beside her, causing Melanie to break out of her daydream-like trance.

"Huh?" Melanie lifted her head and saw, that indeed she was making it rain over a few students who scowled at her. "Sorry," she muttered before waving her wand and causing the rain to stop.

With her stomach tied up in knots, she found that it would be impossible to eat. Still, she grabbed the two sandwiches off of her plate and stuffed them into her book bag for later. They might get smashed a little underneath her books, but that wouldn't take away from their taste. Standing from the table, she turned and left the Great Hall, not noticing that someone else had seen her leave and had begun to follow her soon after.


	21. Chapter 12 Part 1

**Remus Lupin**

_(Author's Note: All I have to say is... "Wow!" I never though I'd get eight followers in such a short time. To all those who have been enjoying this, thank you! I'm literally jumping up and down in my seat right now. I honestly thought that I would have gotten only one or two followers at the most since I'm new to this site. But it's nice knowing that there are people out there who actually like this.)_

Remus stood from his chair and followed Melanie out of the Great Hall as she left. James called out to him, wondering where he was going.

"I just need to go check something in the library," he called back, not in the mood to be teased, which James was likely to do if he found out that Remus was going after Melanie. While the sex jokes were sometimes funny, Remus had sometimes had enough. After searching for Melanie for about ten minutes (when the girl didn't want to be found, she certainly was hard to find), he found her outside on one of the bridges that connected one part of the school to the other. She was peering out towards the lake, the soft breeze lifting a few wisps of her blonde hair around her face.

Even though the weather was turning cold, she wore no cloak to protect herself from the decreasing temperature. Slowly approaching her, he stood beside her.

"Pensieve for your thoughts?" he asked.

Melanie smiled and made an exhaling sound with her nose that sounded like a laugh. "I already have one of those, remember?" she asked.

Ah, yes, the pensieve he had gotten her for her fifteenth birthday. Remus had gotten it for her because she had been complaining that there were so many thoughts swimming in her head, that it was making it hard for her to concentrate on her O.W.L.s.

"I remember, so what's wrong?" he asked inclining his head towards her.

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Melanie asked, giving him her trademark carefree smile.

Remus didn't believe it for a second. "Well, for one thing, that smile is very forced, and another, when you lie, you tend to blink a lot."

Melanie scowled at Remus. "You'd make a really good Auror, do you know that?" she asked.

"Nah, I just know you too well. So, come on, spit it out. What's wrong?" he asked, lightly tickling her left side and causing her to squirm a little bit and giggle slightly.

"Fine, fine," Melanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I guess I'm just a little worried about Kara. You know she's liked Sirius for awhile now, right?"

Remus appeared perplexed. "No, I didn't know that." He quickly shielded himself with his hands as Melanie attempted to hit him. "But, go on."

"Well, earlier this morning during that Quidditch practice, he asked a girl to Hogsmeade with him."

"So?" Remus asked, not seeing what the problem was. "He always asks girls out."

Melanie glared at Remus. "That's not the point. The point is, why hasn't Sirius even noticed Kara? You and James always said that Sirius would go out with anything with a pair of breasts and a pulse. So, why hasn't he given Kara the time of day? They've been friends since their first year."

Remus thought about it. It really was interesting that Sirius never looked at Kara as anything more than a friend, especially when he had gone out with the majority of the girls, ranging from fourth year to seventh year throughout the years. But, maybe Sirius had his reasons for not touching Kara.

"Maybe he has his reasons. Maybe he doesn't want to ruin their friendship, or maybe she's not his type. You know how Sirius likes his women. I'm not saying that Kara isn't attractive," he added quickly as Melanie went to hit him again. "But maybe she doesn't have that certain something that he usually looks for."

Remus looked at Melanie, studying her. She was definitely Sirius's type, he thought. She was beautiful, vivacious, very witty, and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Yet, Melanie did not seem all that interested in Sirius. For some reason, this made Remus happy.

"Are you sure that's all that's wrong?" he asked.

Melanie blinked, once, twice, three times. "Yes," she said.

Remus wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. But he did not want to push the matter further. He checked his watch. "We missed the rest of lunch. And I don't have anymore classes for the rest of the day." Wednesday, they would have Defense Against The Dark Arts after lunch, and Astronomy, which took place at Midnight. There were many perks to being N.E.W.T. students

"Me neither," Melanie said beaming. "What do you say to a visit to Hagrid's?" she suggested.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Remus almost grabbed her hand, but stopped himself, not wanting to give Melanie the wrong idea before he began walking with her towards Hagrid's Hut to visit their friend.


	22. Chapter 12 Part 2

**Peter Pettigrew**

The next few days passed by about the same as others, at least to Peter, they did. James held his Quidditch Tryouts for the Gryffindor team on Tuesday in order to find a new Keeper and Beater. He had ended up with a fifth year girl named Cecilia Vasil as his Keeper and a rather burly sixth year named Michael Tesolae. Peter, himself, had tried out for the position of Keeper, but found he did not possess the hand eye coordination for the job and was not allowed to play on the team, much to his chagrin.

Still, what Peter was looking forward to the most, was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was to take place that Wednesday after lunch. After he finished eating, he joined his friends in the classroom on the third floor.

"So what do you think Professor Prinius will be like?" Melanie asked as she sat beside Lily, who was perched on her chair in a sideways position, allowing Melanie to braid her hair into a french plait.

"Well, even if she is a completely horrible teacher, she'll still be nice to look at," Sirius said in his usual licentious tone, earning him a cross between a glare and an expression of hurt from Kara, which he didn't notice.

The door opened and in walked Professor Prinius, looking as attractive as ever. Today, her hair was pulled back into a french twist and she wore sapphire robes that matched the shade of her eyes. Half of the students began to put their wands away, thinking that they would not be needing them, but the other half kept them out on their desks.

"Please keep your wands out," Prinius said to those that had put their wands away. She flicked her own wand, which was rather long and slender at the blackboard, which caused the chalk to lift up into the air and write the words _Mariella Prinius _on it.

"Now," she said as the chalk settled back into the tray with a loud clatter, "You've had a different teacher each year, am I correct?"

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the class. "As I also understand it, each of your teachers have had different methods of teaching you. However, while they have taught you to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts, they have not taught you anything about the Dark Arts, themselves. That is what I am here to teach you."

A Hufflepuff girl raised her hand. "But, professor...it is forbidden to use Dark Magic in school."

Prinius shook her head. "No, no...you've gotten me all wrong. I will not be practicing such forbidden spells upon you, nor forcing you to practice them on each other. However, all spells have a weakness, and that is what I am here to teach you. To do that, you will have to know how the Dark Arts work, many people go into wizard duels, knowing very little and often fail. If they do succeed, it is often out of luck more than anything else. This term, I will be teaching you certain spells that can protect you from the dark curses, and perhaps save your life, or the lives of your loved ones in the future."

She clapped her hands together. "Now, the first spell that I am going to teach you is very, very advanced magic. Many would say that it is well beyond the N.E.W.T. Level. I also don't expect you all to master the spell on the first try. If you do, I will be as surprised as anyone else would be."

Prinius paused for a moment to make sure that she had everyone's attention. Peter was on the edge of his seat. No teacher had ever agreed to teach them such things.

"The spell I am going to teach you is a spell that is able to rebound the Cruciatus Curse and send it back to your opponent."

"Like Protego?" Kara asked, surprising Peter by speaking up, something she never did unless a teacher asked a question.

Prinius smiled. "Yes, it is very similar to that. However, Protego does not work against any of the Unforgivable Curses; this one does. Now, the spell is known as _Expellium Cruciato. _This such spell is known as an ambiguous spell. Does anyone know what that means?"

Melanie raised her hand. "Ambiguous means that the spell can be either verbal or non-verbal."

"That is correct! Take ten points to Hufflepuff," Prinius said. "Yes, the Expellium Cruciato counter curse can be used as either a verbal spell, or non-verbal spell. It is often preferred as a non-verbal spell as your opponent will have no prior knowledge as to what you are about to do. Still, as that version of the spell is slightly more advanced and I do not think you are ready, we will be practicing the verbal version of it today. You will know if the spell works when a crimson red shield surrounds you."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "Right, everyone has one hour to attempt to master the spell. And don't worry, even if no one gets it right, I will not be giving out homework as punishment." A few students chuckled, despite themselves. "Ready? And...begin!"

The attempts went on for an hour. Peter found himself flourishing his wand as he muttered the counter curse, but the only thing he was able to do was cause green sparkles to shoot from his wand. In fact, not even those who were usually at the top of the class such as his friends were able to successfully perform the spell, nor was anyone else in the classroom. Prinius did not appear surprised that no one else could get it right. Finally, when the hour was up, she signaled for everyone to stop.

"That was a very good effort on everyone's behalf," she said in a friendly tone. "We will continue next Wednesday. But until then, if you so choose, you may practice the spell on your own time in order to perhaps be able to perform it correctly by next class."

She pointed her wand to the door, which opened. Everyone began to pack up their bags before leaving.


	23. Chapter 13 Part 1

**James Potter**

That Saturday was the very first Hogsmeade visit. The students gathered in the courtyard that morning after breakfast, creating an array of colours in their casuals, as they were not required to wear their robes on the weekends. James, himself, wore a red cotton button-up shirt that was un-tucked and a pair of black jean trousers. He had cleaned his white trainers the night before. As usual, his hair was sticking up everywhere, as trying to make it lay flat was just about as possible as Wormtail flying straight on a broomstick.

After a few words from McGonagall on the rules and regulations of their visit, the students were now free to visit Hogsmeade. Because Sirius also had a date, James doubted that he'd be seeing his friend very much. Once James reached the village, he headed off to Honeyduke's where he had promised to meet Ruby.

She was there waiting, looking very pretty with her hair pulled up in a high ponytail, and a blue jean skirt over a pair of black leggings and a light blue off the shoulder sweater that revealed a white broad shouldered tank top underneath. She waved happily to James who walked right over.

"You look nice," James said. He meant it. She really was an attractive girl, and she was smiling at him, which was a nice change from the scowling that Lily usually did when she was in his presence. James mentally shook his head, forcing himself not to think about Lily today.

"Thanks, you look good too. Red is definitely your colour," Ruby said. "Why don't we go over to The Three Broomsticks for a few butterbeers first?" she suggested.

James, personally, didn't care what they did today. He was only here to have a good time, and if he had a beautiful woman with him, then that just made it better. The two of them walked closely together towards the small pub, not exactly holding hands, but those who passed by them could tell that this might have been a date.

A pleasant warmth greeted James as he entered The Three Broomsticks after holding the door open for Ruby. They found a table near the back where they would have at least some privacy.

"Why don't I get us both some butterbeer?" James suggested. Ruby nodded and James went over to the front. As he did so, the door opened again, and in walked Lily. James's heart stopped. Damn, she looked fine in a white form fitting sweater that showed off her curves and a pair of light blue jean trousers and tan fur boots. Her hair cascaded down her back in thick auburn waves and the biting cold had created a very attractive blush upon her cheeks.

James stepped forward to at least say hello to her, but stop as she was soon joined by a tall good looking boy with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes. He said something to her, causing her to laugh. James could feel his insides starting to boil, but he took a deep breath and proceeded to buy the butterbeer.

"Is anything wrong?" Ruby asked him as he returned and set one of the butterbeers down in front of her.

"Nope, everything is fine," James said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.

Unfortunately, Lily and her date sat down at a table only five feet away. However, James soon found that this was a good thing, as, while he was listening to Ruby talk, he could eavesdrop on what Lily and her date were saying.

"So, the Gryffindor team looks good this year," Ruby said with a smile.

"Oh, yeah. It definitely does. I'm looking forward to the first game of the season," James said as he listened to Lily talk about the death of her maternal grandmother that had happened a few weeks ago. James was beginning to see red. She had never told him about her grandmother. Lily's date had now put his arm around her shoulder. How James wanted to break it off right then and now. How dare he touch Lily. What made it worse was that Lily did not seem to mind.

"I was a reserve player for the Ravenclaw team last year, but it was only for a short while. My studies sort of got in the way."

Now the bastard was playing with her hair! James had his hand in his pocket, clutching his wand so tightly that his knuckles were turning white as he cut off the blood circulation in them. "Well, I always say that studies are more important than sports," James said trying not to let Ruby notice that he was distracted.

James swore that if the bastard tried to kiss Lily, he would not be losing one, but all of his limbs. Yet, before he could say anything else to Ruby, an explosion was heard and a bright flash of green could be seen through the window of the pub. Everyone stood, including James, Lily, Lily's date, and Ruby. They ran outside to see what had happened. People were gathering outside. Bright green flames lined the streets as a few of the buildings burned.

"James, what the hell is going on?" Sirius called as he ran up to join his friend. Giselle was with him, looking equally frightened.

James was unable to say anything, for as he opened his mouth, he heard a cackle as a figure, shrouded in darkness descended down upon them. She wore a pair of black robes and a full mask, which concealed her appearance.

The group, which was now joined by Remus, Melanie, Kara, and Peter all drew their wands as the figure approached them.

"Do you really think that your pitiful wands are any match against me?"she asked tauntingly.

"Wait, I know that voice," Sirius said in a tone of realization. "Bellatrix! Show yourself!"

The figure removed her mask. Indeed, it was Bellatrix, Sirius's deranged and sadistic cousin.

"How nice to see you, dear cousin."

"What the hell do you want, you psycho bitch?" Melanie spat, standing her ground firmly.

Bellatrix inclined her head towards the Hufflepuff girl. "How dare you speak to me that way, you filthy blood traitor!" She pointed her long black wand at Melanie. _"Crucio!" _she screamed.

Melanie began to let out a blood curdling scream of agony as she fell to the ground, writhing.

"Melanie!" Remus screamed before attempting to blast Bellatrix with a Stunning spell, which she deflected with her wand before pointing it Remus.

Yet, at that moment, a figure appeared in between Bellatrix and everyone else. A crimson barrier was erected from her wand, which deflected Bellatrix's second Cruciatus Curse. The curse rebounded and was sent straight back to Bellatrix, who was hit full force. She let out a scream of agony similar to Melanie's, who was being pulled to her feet by Remus and looked to be all right, just a little pale.

"How dare you attack these students!" their savior cried as she pulled back the hood of her cloak to reveal herself to be Professor Prinius, their new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher.


	24. Chapter 13 Part 2

**Lily Evans**

_**Minutes before the attack...**_

Lily chanced stealing a glance over at James as Chris and she sat down. He didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked positively livid as he spoke to his own date, a Ravenclaw, who Lily recognized to be a seventh year, named Ruby. She didn't now why James was angry. If he was jealous, he was a real hypocrite. After all, here he was with his own date, and she was perfectly fine with it. Or so she thought...

The more James and Ruby talked, the stranger she felt. There was a small part of her that wished James was the one sitting beside her, not Chris. Not that her own date wasn't satisfactory, but he didn't have that sharp sense of humor she usually saw in James. Fortunately...or unfortunately...the attack happened just a few moments later...

_**During the attack...**_

Lily stood before Bellatrix, her wand drawn. Sirius's sadistic cousin had already succeeded in destroying two shops and three homes, killing twelve citizens in all. Melanie had already suffered at the hands of their enemy, despite the fact that she was a pure-blood. It was known that the Black family, sans Sirius, prided themselves on being pure-bloods, and despised Muggle-borns and blood traitors.

"Ooh, need a teacher to save you?" Bellatrix taunted them as Professor Prinius stood in front of them protectively. She slashed her wand diagonally in the air. A blood red streak of lightning struck Prinius in the cheek, and caused a small thin cut to appear with a few droplets of blood forming.

Prinius lifted her head unflinchingly. "I suggest you leave now!" She lifted her wand and pointed it at Bellatrix. The wild haired young woman was sent back a few feet before she pulled out her wand and waved it, performing the counter curse to the jinx and allowing herself to drop back down to the ground.

"I am not leaving until I finish what I came here to do," she flared.

Prinius lifted her wand again, but Lily stepped forward. "Miss Evans, get behind me," Prinius hissed. But Lily ignored her.

"What, what is it you came to do? Kill innocents? Wreak havoc? I'd say your job is done! Just leave us in peace, and go back to the hovel you crawled out of!" Lily would have rather this ended without anyone being injured if she could help it.

Bellatrix shrieked. "How dare you talk to me that way, you despicable mudblood!" She lifted her wand, but a voice stopped her at that moment.

"Bellatrix! Stop playing around and do what The Dark Lord has commanded you to do!"

Another figure, much taller, and clearly male, appeared beside Bellatrix and removed his mask revealing himself to be Lucius Malfoy.

"Get out of here, Lucius! Go back home to my sister! This does not concern you!"

Lily barely knew Lucius Malfoy, as he had been in his fifth year when she was in her first year, and, therefore, graduated long before she did. But it came of no surprise to her that he would, one day, join the wrong crowd. It seemed that nearly all Slytherins usually did.

Lily heard a small whimpering sound and turned around to see that her date, Chris, was huddled on the ground, covering his head, and trembling. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust, something which Bellatrix seemed to notice.

"Aww, is the itty bitty baby scawed?" she jeered. "Why don't I put him out of his misery?"

"Bellatrix!" Lucius bellowed.

Bellatrix lowered her wand. "Tsch, fine. I came here to pass a message to the two of you!" She pointed her wand to Lily, who still had her wand drawn and was pointing it at Bellatrix, ready to hit her with everything that she had, and James, who had come to stand protectively near Lily. "My Master would like to meet with the two of you. He is very, very interested in the both of you. Why he wants a filthy mud-blood is beyond me. But I do not defy my master's orders."

Sirius stepped forward. "And just who the hell is your master? He can't be very intelligent if he's recruited you."

Bellatrix turned red with rage before her eyes fell upon Kara and a malicious smile spread upon her lips. "My master said nothing about sparing anyone else." She lifted her wand and pointed it in Kara's direction.

Kara, who was a borderline pacifist and only drew her wand when she was afraid, or her life was in danger, pointed her wand at Bellatrix. Suddenly, Bellatrix was suspended upside down into the air as Kara performed the _Levicorpus_ spell. Bellatrix screamed and shrieked profanities at Kara.

"_Expelliarmus!" _Sirius cried, knocking Bellatrix's wand out of her hand and causing it to fly a few feet away and land near the place Lucius was standing.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _James shouted, and Bellatrix's screams ceased.

Lily, who saw Lucius bend over to retrieve Bellatrix's wand, shifted her own wand towards him.

Lucius sneered in disgust. "Put your wand away, you fool. I, unlike Bellatrix, here, know when I am outnumbered. He lifted his wand towards Bellatrix and she fell to the ground, the Levicorpus hex lifted. But she was still in the full body bind, for now.

He grabbed her stiff arm and looked towards the others. "Be warned, that this is not over. What our master wants, he usually gets in the end. So I wouldn't get too comfortable." There was a loud crack and he disapparated.

Everyone lowered their wands in unison and Prinius turned to the group. "Is everyone all right?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

There was a mutter of confirmation. Remus was the one who spoke first.

"Just what did they mean by their master?"

Prinius sighed. "I'm not sure, Mr. Lupin. One can only guess. Perhaps Professor Dumbledore knows something. But for now, we all need to get back up to the castle."

"But what about the people here who have been hurt or killed?" Sirius asked, his tone laced with worry.

"We can do nothing for those that were killed, but those that were injured will receive the care they need. But for now, we need to get you all back to the castle, especially you two," she said glancing at Lily and James pointedly. "You two are important for some reason, although we don't really know why."

"Well, I'm not afraid of some crazy sadistic bitch waving a wand around," James boasted before looking at Sirius. "No offense, man. I know she's your cousin and all."

"Tsch, bitch be crazy," Sirius said agreeing with James about his cousin before turning to Kara and slinging his arm around her shoulder nonchalantly. "That was some nice wand work there," he said. "I'm impressed."

Kara blushed furiously as they all headed back up to the school.


	25. Chapter 14 Part 1

**Kara Hale**

No one pocketed their wand, not until they reached the school, for there was the initial fear that they would be attacked again. The pride that Kara felt upon Sirius complimenting her spell casting was gone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Sirius was ignoring her completely again, and had his arm wrapped tightly around Giselle's waist. Why wouldn't he be paying more attention to her? She was much more desirable, that was for sure. She also wasn't about five pounds overweight with unkempt hair. She wasn't forced to wear baggy clothes to hide the fact that she was fat.

Lily's next words pulled Kara out of her slump, temporarily. "James and I are going to go up to Dumbledore's office. Maybe he knows a little bit about this Dark Lord, Sirius's cousin keeps talking about," she said.

"Professor Dumbledore likes Blood Suckers," Prinius said, winking conspiringly at them.

James beamed. "Oh, right, the password, thanks, Professor," he said before his hazel eyes drifted towards Ruby. "Er, sorry that our date got cut short. If you want, after Evans and I finish with Dumbledore, you and I can find something to do here."

"Actually, I need to write a letter to my mum and then head up to the Owlery to mail it to her," Ruby said with an apologetic expression.

James shrugged. "Oh, no problem. Just wait for me and I'll walk you over there when I'm done."

"No, no!" Ruby said quickly. "Seriously, you take your time. We'll have more days to spend together."

Kara could have sworn she saw an expression of triumph on Lily's face. Of course, that was until Ruby asked, "Lily, where is your date?" there was a hint of smugness in Ruby's voice, as Lily's own date was nowhere to be found.

Lily turned a brilliant shade of red, the same as her hair. "At this point, I don't give a damn," she grumbled. "Bloody coward. Let's go, Potter," she said, grabbing hold of the collar of James's shirt and pulling him into the direction of the stairs. James had no choice, but to follow, or risk his shirt being ripped.

Sirius gave a stretch. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm not about to let my cousin ruin this weekend for me. Giselle and I are heading back up to the dormitories for a little fun of our own if you know what I mean," he said, grinning licentiously at Giselle who returned his smile in an alluring way.

Kara was taken aback when Melanie rounded on him. "And what about Kara?" she demanded, her hands on her hips as she peered up at Sirius, glaring at him.

"Mel, drop it," Remus muttered, trying to pull Melanie away. This only served to make Kara blush even more. She wished that Melanie would just lay off.

"Um, if Sirius wants to go off with his date, he's more than welcome to. He's not obligated to hang out with me," Kara said quietly.

Sirius blinked. "Er, right. Besides, two things, one: I doubt Kara would want to see what Giselle and I are about to do; two: Kara isn't a Gryffindor. She's not allowed to come up to our rooms, even if she wanted to."

Melanie raised her wand at Sirius. Kara started to protest, afraid that she would hex Sirius, but Remus intervened at that moment.

"_Expelliarmus!" _Melanie's wand flew out of her hand and was caught by Remus.

Melanie turned on Remus, strongly fuming. "Give it back, Remus," she demanded trying to reach for her wand, which Remus held above his head. Sirius shook his head in bemusement before taking Giselle's hand. "Come on, let's go while she's distracted," he said, before he walked past Kara and headed up the stairs towards the seventh floor. Kara had felt her spirits fall. Sirius hadn't even noticed that she had worn a little bit of lipstick today, a soft pink shade, which she thought looked very good on her.

Remus and Melanie had stopped arguing over the wand, and now stood behind Kara. "Don't worry, he'll come around," Remus said reassuringly, patting Kara's shoulder.

"You can hang out with us. Remus and I got some great snacks from Honeydukes that we'd be more than happy to share with you," Melanie said.

Kara was secretly thankful that she had such good friends. If she didn't, she would most likely be in her dormitory crying her eyes out over someone who barely even knew she existed. "Sure, as long as you have a few Sugar Quills on you," Kara said smiling. The three of them headed off to find a place to sit so that they could enjoy the sweets from Honeydukes.


	26. Chapter 14 Part 2

**Sirius Black**

_**One hour later...**_

Sirius sat on the edge of his bed and was pulling on his shoes. He was mostly dressed, but his shirt was unbuttoned at the moment. Giselle sat behind him, the sheets tucked underneath her arms, hiding her obvious nudity. She was playing with her hair at the moment, which was slightly more unkempt given what they had just spent the hour doing. She scooted up closer to Sirius and wrapped her arms around him, lightly running her fingernails across his chest in what was a very provocative manner.

"We're not done yet, are we?" she asked, lightly nibbling on Sirius's earlobe. "Surely you have enough stamina left in you for one more go."

Sirius moved his head out of her reach and stood up to button his shirt. Of course he could go for awhile longer, but the fact of the matter was, he didn't want to. In fact, the sex had only been half enjoyable. For reasons he did not know, he had found himself thinking of Kara, her unruly curly brown hair, and the fact that she had stood up to his fiendish cousin. In fact, he had been very much turned on by his friend's bravery. She had certainly surprised him. Yet, telling her that was an impossible feat, so he had escaped the only way he knew how, something that made him feel immensely guilty.

"I need to go check on my friends," he said as he tucked his shirt in.

Giselle huffed, before allowing the sheet to fall down as she stood up, revealing a rather ample bosom. She was certainly very attractive, then again, so was Kara in her own way. But Kara had a different form of beauty, one that displayed her innocence that, for some reason, he was beginning to find rather alluring. As Giselle got dressed, he unwrapped a chocolate frog and bit the head off, casually reading the card as he did so. Finally, to his relief, Giselle pushed past him and left the dormitory. Yes, he watched her go. She had a rather nice back-side. Just because he was thinking about Kara, did not mean he was immune to other girls' charms.

A few minutes after Giselle left, the door opened again and James walked in.

"It smells like ass in here," he said wrinkling his nose.

"Hey, it didn't smell that way until you walked in," Sirius said jokingly. "So, what did Dumbledore say?" he asked.

James sat down on his bed. "He basically told us to be careful from now on, and that there had to be a reason that this so called Dark Lord was interested in us."

"That's it?" Sirius said disappointedly.

James sighed. "Yeah, that's it. He said he'll tell us more when he feels we're ready."

"Right, so, I don't really want to stay in this damned room today, how about we go see what the others are up to?" Sirius suggested.

James quickly stood up, indicating that he agreed with his friend and followed Sirius out of the dormitories. However, not knowing exactly where their friends were, Sirius pulled, what looked like, a small piece of parchment from his pocket and tapped it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up no good," he said. The parchment began to fold itself and shapes began to form on it, revealing itself to be the map that they had created in their third year, also known as The Marauders' Map.

"Well, Remus, Melanie, and Kara are actually outside in the courtyard. Lily is headed in the direction of the library, and..." he paused as he looked for Peter. "Ah, Peter is on the fifth floor." He tapped the map once again with his wand. "Mischief managed," and tucked it back into his pocket. "So, who should we harass first?"

James appeared to be thinking for a moment. "Evans will most likely murder me if I interrupt her in the library, I guess I could see what Peter is doing," he said.

"Sounds good, I'll go to the courtyard where the other three are, then," Sirius said before the two of them went their separate ways.

Just as the map said, Remus, Melanie, and Kara were in the courtyard, trading off Honeyduke's snacks it seemed. He was glad to hear that Kara was actually laughing and enjoying herself. She had seemed so down the past few days, and he couldn't imagine why.

"Oi, got anything left for me?" he called as he approached them.

They looked up in unison, but it was Kara who blushed. He hadn't noticed it before, but she was wearing a very soft light pink lipstick that looked very good on her.

"Hey, Padfoot," Remus said in greeting. "Yeah, we have some Acid Pops, Droobles, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's, a few sugar Quills left, if Kara is willing to part with a few, and some Blood Suckers."

Sirius sat down near them on the circular bench and grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's. "James and Lily just got back from visiting Dumbledore," Sirius said, and informed them of what James had told him.

"I think Dumbledore knows more than he's letting on. He probably just wants to protect Lily and James," Melanie said.

"For good reason, too," Kara added. "It's no secret that they are fiercely loyal to him. Why Bellatrix's master is interested in them is beyond me. I mean, what does he hope to do with them?" she asked.

"We can only guess," Remus said. "Hopefully, whoever he is, he's dealt with before he even has a chance to get near Lily and James."

Sirius grimaced in disgust as he bit into a bean that tasted like ear wax. He spit it onto the ground before speaking. "Those two are too smart to let that happen. There's no way they'd be tempted. They have way too much to lose."

The others murmured in agreement before spending the rest of the hour pigging out on their snacks and joking around.


	27. Chapter 15 Part 1

**Melanie Sparks**

The month of September passed into October, those that played witness to the attack in Hogsmeade tried their best to go about their normal lives. Students studied and did their best to complete the large piles of homework that each teacher had burdened them with. On top of the hordes of homework, Quidditch practice was also a part of some of the students' daily lives. The fifteenth of October would be the first game of the season, a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Melanie pushed past a group of third year students, each wearing their House colours of scarlet and gold in the forms of scarves. "Come on, move down, move down," she muttered, brushing past them in order to get to the place she wanted to sit.

"About time you showed up!" Remus said as soon as she joined Lily, Kara, Peter, and him. Everyone wore something to show their support for, despite the fact that one of them was in Ravenclaw. Melanie, herself, wore a pair of scarlet and gold striped tights underneath her uniform and a scarf of matching colours, which as loosely wrapped around her neck.

"I had to fight a nasty group of third years to get over here," Melanie said teasingly as she conjured a pair of binoculars out of thin air to use in order to see the match.

The loud siren to signal the start of the game went off, and everyone started cheering as blurs of red and green flew out onto the field from each side. Over on another set of seats, a group of sixth year girls were holding up a large poster with a large picture of James's face on it and flashing letters below that said _'MARRY US, JAMES!' _and screaming like a couple of fan girls.

Lily snorted in disgust. "Honestly, is that really necessary?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Melanie and Remus looked at each other and smirked knowingly before watching as the Captains shook hands. The Slytherin Captain tried his best to crush James's hand in the process.

"It looks like we have a good team this year!" the commentator yelled over the sound of the cheering. "The Slytherin team looks to be in top form!"

"What? What the hell is he smoking?" Melanie demanded.

Kara lifted her own binoculars up to the commentator's box. "It figures, the commentator is a Slytherin," she said.

"Git," Remus muttered.

"Potter has control of the Quaffle, he's passed it to Smith! She shoots...ah, she misses! Seems like the Slytherin Keeper is too fast for her. Better luck, next time!" the Slytherin commentator sneered.

The Keeper threw the Quaffle back. James intercepted it before one of the Slytherin Chasers could grab it. A Beater hit a Bludger towards him, but Sirius, ever ready, knocked it away from James and, to everyone's enjoyment, towards the commentator box where the nasty commentator and Professor McGonagall were forced to dive in order to dodge.

"Sorry!" Sirius called, feigning innocence. "My aim's a little off today." He flew back into the middle of the field, slapping a high five with his fellow Beater.

"Right, so after that so called accident, the game continues!" said a now flustered commentator.

The game continued, Gryffindor scored eight goals, earning themselves eighty points, while Slytherin had only scored two.

"James is looking good this year!" Lily yelled as she peered through her binoculars at the Gryffindor Team Captain and their best friend.

Melanie, Remus, and even Kara all looked at her in shock.

"What?" Lily snapped indignantly.

"You called him James!" Melanie said pointing at Lily. "I knew it! I knew it!" She began to dance around triumphantly.

_Li_ly's face turned as red as her hair. "It was a slip-up!" she protested stomping her feet. "I meant to call him Potter!"

Remus, ever the peace keeper, said, "Now, now, Mel, leave Lily alone. If she's not ready to admit that she has it bad for James, then we should respect her wishes and leave her alone. Although, with the way those two are behaving, I doubt it'll be too much longer before they're snogging underneath the stands."

"That's right!" Lily said agreeingly before realizing what Remus had just said and began to hit him over the shoulders. "That's not funny, Remus!"

Everyone was doubled over with laughter that, after a few minutes, even Lily joined in. Their spirits were lifted further as the Gryffindor Seeker caught the snitch a few minutes later winning the match for Gryffindor.


	28. Chapter 15 Part 2

**Remus Lupin**

About half an hour later, the Gryffindor team, along with a few of their friends, convened at The Three Broomsticks for a few celebratory drinks in honor of winning their first game of the season. The Marauders were there, along with Lily, Melanie, and Kara, as well as Ruby, Giselle, and a few other people. After the attack, which happened last month, the shops and houses that had been destroyed were repaired by a group of highly skilled wizards. There was talk of Hogsmeade visits being canceled because of the attack. Instead, protective enchantments had been placed around the area. This would ensure that the students would still be able to enjoy their visits, but they would not be under constant threat from those like Sirius's cousin, or others who reveled in the Dark Arts.

Remus had a gillywater in his hand and was standing by Lily, who looked like she was torn between congratulating James, or merely ignoring him.

Remus leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Why don't you go say something to him? Congratulate him before any of these other girls do."

Lily silently sipped her butterbeer. "There's practically a sea of people surrounding him. It would be impossible to even get near him," she muttered.

Remus lifted his head towards the place where James was standing and knew, right away, that Lily was just making excuses. The only people talking to him were Sirius, Peter, and one of the other Chasers. "Oh, go on," he said in exasperation, giving her a shove towards James.

He heard her grumble as she walked over to James who was looking at her expectantly. Remus chuckled into his drink, watching in amusement, but silently cheering for James and Lily, in hopes that they would stop this beating around the bush and just get on with taking their friendship to the next level.

A shadow fell over Remus, he looked to the his right to see that Melanie had decided to stand beside him. She held a large mug of honeyed mead. The glass was still half full, but already Melanie seemed rather tipsy. There was a prominent red tinge in her cheeks, and she wobbled slightly, even while remaining stationary. Peering up at Remus, she grinned sloppily.

"Great party, huh?" Already, Melanie's speech was slurred, making Remus wonder just how many drinks she'd had.

"Um, Melanie, how many drinks have you had so far?" Remus asked kindly.

Melanie appeared to be having trouble thinking. "I think, um, this is my sixth, no wait, seventh one?" she said slurringly.

Without saying a word, Remus reached over and plucked the mug away from Melanie, ignoring her drunken protests. "I think that's enough drinks for tonight. Let's get you something non-alcoholic. What do you say?" he suggested.

"B-But I swear to drunk, I'm not God!" Melanie whined, stomping her left foot, or attempting to. For the moment she lifted her foot, she started to fall over, having no balance. Remus reached forward to steady her so that she didn't fall. "Why don't we get some fresh air?" he asked. Before he could give her time to refuse, Remus had put his arm around Melanie's shoulder and was steering her outside into the cool night air.

Standing close to Melanie, and holding on to her firmly, Remus began to guide her down the street, in hopes that the cold air would sober her up just a little bit. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. Melanie was known for over-indulging when it came to drinking. She just didn't know when to stop. Remus had a feeling that, if he hadn't put a stop to it, she would have drunk until she got herself too sick to even come to her classes for the next week.

"You're my best friend," Melanie said cheerfully as she patted Remus's cheek, or tried to. Her hand missed his cheek and patted his nose instead.

"Yes, Mel, I'm your best friend," Remus said with a frustrated sigh. In all honesty, Remus found it to be a huge turn off when a girl was drunk and sloppy. He didn't mind a few drinks every now and again, but Melanie seemed to think that one could drink and drink and drink without suffering any consequences.

Speaking of Melanie, she had fallen silent. Remus looked down at her, wondering if she had sobered up any. "You all right, Mel?"

Melanie didn't answer him at first, but then turned her head towards him and walking. Remus was forced to stop as well.

"Mel?" Remus asked with concern.

"Why won't you go out with me?" Melanie asked, wobbling on the spot.

Remus was taken aback. "What? What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Why won't you go out with me? Am I not pretty enough? Do you have a girlfriend that you don't want to tell me about?"

Remus ran his fingers through his hair not sure what to say. He knew that when one was drunk, his or her tongue was loosened. But he wasn't expecting this sort of question.

"Mel, you know why we're not going out. Come on, don't be like this," he begged.

Melanie glared up at him. "No! Come on, Remus! You know I have feelings for you. Why won't you return them?"

Remus, in fact, did not know that Melanie still carried feelings for him. He also couldn't tell whether it was the drunkenness talking or if she was sober. Still, he didn't want to take any chances.

"You're drunk. Let's sit down somewhere," Remus said scanning the area for a place to sit. Suddenly, he felt Melanie's arms wrap around his neck, and before he could say anything, her fingers were in his hair and she was pulling his head down until her lips crushed his in a very sloppy kiss.

Remus could taste the alcohol on her tongue and it turned his stomach. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, however, so he grabbed her shoulders and, with a bit of force, firmly pushed her away.

"Melanie, no, I can't. You're drunk, you have no idea what you're doing," Remus said trying his best to keep his patience.

Melanie suddenly looked angry. "Why?" she shouted demandingly. "What's wrong with me? I thought that I was pretty enough!"

"You are," Remus said trying to placate her. "You're very attractive, but you know why I can't be with you."

"Because you're a werewolf?" Melanie practically screamed as Remus made shushing motions with his hands, trying to get her to quiet down. "Oh, forget you!" Melanie cried. Before she could say anything else, Remus saw her tilt back, her eyes closing. He darted forward and caught her before she hit the ground. The drinks had finally caught up to her, and she had passed out. Remus lifted her into her arms, thinking to himself that this was the best thing that had happened to her. Melanie needed to sleep this drunken rage off. Securing her in his arms, he began to carry her back towards the school.


	29. Chapter 16 Part 1

**Lily Evans**

_(Author's Note: I know that Peter should be next, but I actually have plans for Peter, which will be revealed in the next chapter. I thought that this would be a good time for a bit of "Jily", since I know my readers enjoy that very much.)_

Lily was enjoying the festivities. Scanning the pub, she could see many of her friends and fellow classmates. Melanie was busy downing drink after drink, getting more drunk by the minute. Kara was in the corner talking to Hagrid who seemed politely interested in what she had to say. The same group of girls who had held the '_Marry Me, James!' _poster was huddled in one corner giggling like a couple of thirteen year olds who had just seen their favorite boy band perform.

"Morons," Lily muttered, downing the rest of her butterbeer, then ordering another. She came to stand next to Remus who was watching James talking to a few of his teammates.

"Why don't you go say something to him?" Remus suggested. "Congratulate him before some other girl does."

Lily looked up at Remus incredulously. Did he forget that she would rather not touch James with a ten foot pole, let alone go up and talk to him?

""There's practically a sea of people surrounding him. It would be impossible to even get near him," she muttered as an excuse.

Before she could walk away, Remus gave her a push, nearly causing her to stumble. Cursing underneath her breath, she pulled her shoulders back and strolled over to James who appeared to be looking at her expectantly. Lily was secretly praying that Sirius, or Peter, or anyone else in the vicinity would claim his attention. Unfortunately, those that were talking to James were now scattering and going to the bar to order more drinks. Traitors, the lot of them, that's what they were.

"Evans, Lily Evans," James said in a rather James Bond manner greeting Lily.

Lily's eyebrows quirked and the corners of her mouth lifted upwards in a rather amused smile. "No, that's my name," she said. "Your name is James Potter, remember?"

James lifted his mug, filled with fire whiskey in toast to her. "She knows how to make jokes. I'm impressed, Evans. Here, I thought you were just some stiff neck who had a thorny cactus stuck up her rectum all the time."

Lily threw her head back and laughed. "Touche, but I'm surprised you even remember my first name. After all these years, I was beginning to think you had forgotten it."

James smiled, Lily could feel her cheeks heating up, and it wasn't from the butterbeer either. James seemed different. He was less arrogant than he usually was, not to mention he had lessened his harassment of her, and did not seem to be asking her out as much. But, that wasn't all. Even though he still played his pranks, even though he still cut up in class from time to time, he seemed a lot more mature. In short, Lily was seeing a side of James that she had never seen before, and it set her heart to pounding each time she looked at him. The biggest change was that he had stopped making Severus Snape's life a living hell and, instead, ignored him for the most part.

"Lily?" James asked.

Lily looked up. It was the first time James had ever called her by her first name since their fifth year. Just the sound of her name on his lips caused her knees to buckle. How many lips had James's own lips kissed? How would they feel? How would they taste? For a minute, Lily imagined James kissing her, his body pressing against hers as he pushed her against a wall, his hands touching roaming in places that only she, herself, had touched in private. Lily mentally shook her head, reminding herself to take more cold showers from now on.

"Um, right. I just wanted to say congratulations for winning the very first match of the season. The team looked good out there," she said, mentally kicking herself for not saying anything else.

Someone pushed past her all of a sudden. "You call that a congratulations?" a haughty voice said. Lily saw that it was Ruby who had pushed her out-of-the-way. "This is a congratulations." Before Lily could rip her away, Ruby kissed James fully, shoving her tongue into his mouth, her fingernails lightly scraping against the back of his neck and holding him in a vice-like grip making it nearly impossible for James to escape.

Lily did nothing, said nothing, but inside, there was a savage beast attempting to claw itself out. She wanted to tear this girl apart. Lily wanted to make Ruby suffer. What right did she have to kiss James like that? How rude could one person be? Lily was seeing red. Fighting the urge to crush this blonde's face against the wall, she smiled up at James whose eyes were widened in surprise as Ruby practically made out with him on the spot.

"Well, it looks like you're busy. I'll talk to you later," Lily said in an eerily cheerful voice before the turned and walked towards the back of the pub and into the girls' lavatory.

Once Lily was inside the lavatory, she took a deep breath to keep herself from screaming out loud. She couldn't believe that she had almost lost it in there. Lily had been ready to rip out Ruby's jugular. Right now she needed to get back up to the castle. Perhaps a nice hot shower would help cool her relax. She could also sneak into one of the kitchens and see if she could persuade one of the House-Elves to make her a large mug of hot chocolate.

"Lily," a familiar voice said quietly

Lily looked up from the mirror and saw James's reflection staring back at her. She could see that his lips were still moist and covered with traces of Ruby's lipstick. "This is the girls' lavatory," she said darkly. "You really need to leave.

"You're not mad at me, are you? Lily, I swear I didn't know Ruby was going to do that. She surprised me just as much as she surprised you."

There he was, calling her by her first name again. Why was it so hard to stay mad at him? Lily almost smiled. "I'm surprised that the two of you didn't going at it right in the middle of the pub," Lily sneered.

James looked appalled at Lily's statement. "What? I would never do something like that! I'm not some massive horn dog who likes to get his kicks wherever he can get them."

Lily said nothing. Instead, she washed her hands, even though they didn't need it, using excess amounts of soap. She had been jealous, that's what had happened. Lily had wanted to be the one to kiss James, to feel his lips upon hers. But, why? After all these years of loathing the very ground he walked on, why were these feelings developing?

James stepped closer to her. "Lily, I'm sorry, all right?" To Lily's surprise, James then encircled his arms around her waist and pulled her against him so that her back rested against his strong chest. She could feel the beat of his heart quickening the tighter he held her. Turning around, Lily faced him, her emerald eyes gazing upwards into James's own hazel hued eyes.

Hooking his hand underneath Lily's left ear, his fingers delving deep into her hair, his thumb gently caressing her cheek, James leaned forward and before her mind had time to process what had happened, his lips were upon hers. Lily's mind was reeling. She was experiencing so many things at once. She could still taste traces of Ruby upon his lips, but they were fading fast and being replaced with his taste, his strong taste, which was a mixture of fire whiskey and cool mint mouthwash. It was intoxicating. Before Lily could stop herself, she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and slowly closing her eyes.

To her surprising disappointment, James pulled away, his eyes half-opened in a rather lazy way that made him seem rather alluring.

"That should prove just how I feel about you," James said in a husky tone.

Lily was breathless. She lifted her fingers to her lips and touched them. They still felt warm. Reaching over, James caressed her cheek with the back of his left hand and smiled. After hesitating for a few seconds, Lily smiled as well. "I never thought I would have been in a girls' lavatory making out with the famous James Potter," Lily said in a vexing tone.

"I'd say you enjoyed it very much," James said. "If you didn't, you probably would have jammed your wand up my nose like that last time I even got close to kissing you."

Lily folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, and still haven't gotten all the bogies off of my wand," she said playfully before becoming serious. "By the way, how did you manage to get away from Ruby anyhow?" she asked curiously.

James waved his left hand casually. "Oh, that? That was easy. I just told her that I'd been having diarrhea for the past few days and needed to go to the bathroom before I had another accident and she let me go right away. It seems girls find talk of feces to be rather repulsive."

Lily laughed, "I can't imagine why. But, seriously, we'd probably better get out of here before someone suspects something," she said.

"I think they probably already do," James said. Lily silently agreed with him before the two of them left the bathroom, their hands intertwined together.


	30. Chapter 16 Part 2

**Peter Pettigrew**

_**Halloween Night...**_

_****_A large rat scampered over the trunk of a fallen tree and into a clearing. Aside from being surrounded by trees, which no longer flourished with life, there was nothing in this clearing, or so there seemed. The rat stopped, its nose twitching as it sniffed the area, trembling. The rat stood on its hind legs, then, and began to change shape, and was soon revealed to have been Peter Pettigrew.

One may ask, what was Peter Pettigrew doing in the Forbidden Forest on a night like this? Peter, himself, was unsure as to why he was here. About a week ago, as he was trudging through the sleet to get to his next class, he was greeted by a large simple barn owl, which swooped down and dropped a letter in his hands, which was hidden inside a black envelope with green lettering, which bore his name. Peter, who never really got letters, aside from the occasional birthday card each year, was very surprised.

Peter had had to wait until he had a small bit of privacy in order to read the letter. When he was finally able to read it, he was surprised by what he read.

_Peter, _

_We are very interested in meeting you. When the time is convenient for you, please visit us in the Forbidden Forest on the north side. Do anything you can to ensure that you will not be seen. Halfway through the north side of the forest, you will come upon a clearing, surrounded by dead and rotting trees. Walk right into the center and hold out your wand and use the 'Homenum Revelo' charm. The rest will be up to you. We look forward to your company._

There had been no name at the end of the letter, and the hand-writing was unfamiliar to him. Peter thought about just throwing away the letter and forgetting about it, but he couldn't. There was a small nagging voice inside of his head that told him this was important. That was why, tonight, on Halloween Night, after everyone had headed off to bed complaining about the fact that they had eaten too much candy, Peter, after waiting a solid hour to make sure that everyone was truly asleep, had gotten out of bed, shifted into his rat form, and, luckily, managed to make it past all of the teachers and prefects patrolling the different parts of the school. Sometimes, being a rat Animagus had its advantages.

Peter was now in the clearing. Now that he was here, there was a certain part of him that said this was stupid and that he should just turn around and go back to the school. But, then there was that more reckless side of him, the Marauder in him that told him to push forward. Inhaling, and then exhaling deeply, Peter stepped forward and held out his wand.

_"Homenum Revelo!" _he said.

At first nothing happened making Peter feel like a complete dunce for coming here. If this was a prank, it wasn't a very funny one. Suddenly, to his surprise, however, a shack soon appeared before him, right in the middle of the clearing. Peter stepped forward and the door swung open, creaking eerily, as if inviting him inside. Peter knew he could turn around and just walk away. He could go back to the school and crawl into his nice warm bed and forget it ever happened. However, his curiosity was getting the better of him. Stepping forward, Peter entered the shack.

It was dark inside. Peter lit the end of his wand and was surprised at what he saw. While the house looked positively old and decrepit on the outside, on the inside, it was much larger. There was a staircase leading up to a second floor. Every piece of furniture combined, well, the furniture he could see, looked to be antiques and, most likely, cost the yearly salary that both of his parents, combined, earned.

The door swung shut causing Peter to jump and fire suddenly sprang candles, which were placed throughout the house, bathing the light in a dim glow. It was then that Peter realized that he wasn't alone. Standing beside a large winged chair, facing away from the fire was a very familiar figure. Peter pointed his wand at her.

_"Expelliarmus," _she said in a rather bored tone. Peter's wand went flying out of his hand and landed in hers.

"Bellatrix, wh-what are you doing here?" Peter stammered, attempting to be brave, but failing.

"Aww, is the ickle baby afwaid of me? Be careful, Wormtail, you might wet your pants, and we don't have an extra pair of knickers here for you," Bellatrix taunted him.

This was a trap, it had to be! "Y-You...you sent that letter," Peter cried in realization.

Bellatrix clapped slowly. "Very good. You see, you're not a complete dunderhead like I thought."

Another voice, which came from the chair, spoke in a raspy voice. "Bellatrix, let us not vex our guest."

Peter could not see who was in the chair as the back of it was turned to him, facing the fire. But, what he could see was a hand resting on the right arm of the chair. It was chalky white, the fingers long like spiders' legs and thin. Peter suppressed a tremble.

"Yes, my lord," Bellatrix said in a rather loving way before lifting her cold black eyes towards Peter once more.

"The letter was sent to you because we thought you might be a big help to us," Bellatrix said as she used Peter's wand to kill a fly that had landed on the wall behind her, the green light barely missing Peter.

"Wh-Why would I ever help you?" Peter asked. "Y-You k-killed all those people in Hogsmeade!"

"Wh-Wh-Wh-," Bellatrix mimicked him mockingly. "Yes, that was great fun, to see the lights leave their eyes as they take their last dying breaths. You should try it, sometime, you know. Perhaps against those so-called mudblood friends of yours."

Peter felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid as to come here. He should have known that this was all a trap. Would he die here, alone and defenseless?

"N-No," Peter said, lifting his eyes bravely towards Bellatrix.

"No?" Bellatrix repeated quirking her left eyebrow.

"I-I won't help you," Peter said with determination.

Bellatrix lifted Peter's wand, pointing it threateningly at him. "How dare you defy us! You do not deserve to breathe the same air as any of us here, you pathetic excuse for a wizard!"

Bellatrix lifted Peter's wand and began to cry out, "_Avada-"_

"That is enough," the figure sitting in the chair said. "We cannot force Wormtail to do anything. We must let him make that decision on his own. He will come around when he is ready. I believe that he will be a great asset to what we are planning," the figure rasped.

Bellatrix lowered Peter's wand and threw it back to him. Peter caught it and, before the two who stood before him could have a chance to change their minds about letting him go, he stumbled out of the shack, which disappeared as soon as he stepped out. He did not stop running until he had stepped out of the Forbidden Forest, his heart pounding, drenched in sweat. Peter looked behind himself to make sure that no one was following him before shifting into his rat form and crawling all the way back into the school.


	31. Chapter 17 Part 1

**Sirius Black**

_(Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not updating for the past few days. I got my main laptop back and was busy reinstalling everything onto it. I've also been a very bad girl and have been playing The Sims 3 instead of working on more chapters for this fan fiction. I'm sorry, I should be punished. God, that sounded so wrong, haha.)_

There was a month and two weeks left until the Christmas Ball. Those available were quickly dwindling. Giselle, who was the first girl Sirius had asked turned him down. She was going with a boy in Ravenclaw. Sirius asked a few other girls who he assumed would be interested, but, unfortunately, they also had dates. Sirius wished that he had someone to suffer along with him, but now that James and Lily were an official couple, he had no one. Even Remus had found a date. Surprisingly, it was not with Melanie, but with a fifth year Gryffindor.

Melanie...she was dateless, right? As far as Sirius knew, she hadn't been asked by anyone yet. Sirius headed towards the courtyard where he assumed Melanie was, as that was her usual hang out. Sure enough, he found her talking to a group of her fellow Hufflepuffs. She was easy to pick out, given that she was the only one wearing pink and purple leg warmers over her stockings. Sirius approached her and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

Melanie turned around. Sirius was rather taken aback by her appearance. She was wearing turquoise mascara and green eyeliner with bright pink lipstick.

"Yikes," Sirius said underneath his breath.

Melanie, hearing Sirius, punched him in the shoulder. "Screw you. I'm making a fashion statement."

Sirius scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Right, so listen, you don't have a date for the dance and neither do I. So, I was thinking...do you want to go together?"

Melanie blinked, "Go to the dance, with you?"

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, I mean, come on. I promise I'll keep my hands to myself."

Melanie laughed, "It's not you copping a feel I'm afraid of. The truth of the matter is, I was just asked about five minutes ago."

Sirius's spirits fell. It looked like he was going stag. "Seriously? Who is it?"

"A Hufflepuff in my year, Amos Diggory," she said.

Sirius knew who Amos was. He was one of the better looking guys in the entire school. Yet, it was surprising that Amos had asked someone as eccentric as Melanie out. Now what the hell was Sirius going to do? He had no date. But then, Melanie said something that might have saved his reputation.

"What about Kara?" Melanie asked. "I don't think she has a date."

If Sirius had been in his Animagus form, his ears would have perked up as a sign of his excitement. "Really? Thanks, Mel. I owe you one!"

"Get me a big ass box of Chocolate Frogs and we'll call it even!" Melanie called to Sirius's retreating back.

Sirius searched throughout the school for Kara, finally finding her in the library. It wasn't surprising. Sirius didn't know why she didn't set up a cot and sleep in here with as much time she spent in the place. Kara seemed to be in some distress right now as she attempted to reach a book that rested high on one of the bookshelves. The books were enchanted so that they could not be Accio'ed. Sauntering over to her, Sirius pulled down the book that she wanted. "This the one you're trying to get?" he asked.

Kara blushed. "Yes, thank you," she said.

Sirius smiled. Kara was very cute when she blushed. She didn't have that sultry allure that a lot of girls did. Still, she was the only girl he knew that could pull off oversized glasses. If only she would come out of her shell a little more and wear something other than long tweed skirts and baggy oxfords.

"Do you have a date for the ball?" Sirius asked casually leaning against the bookshelf.

Kara stared down at the book she held in her arms. "Um, no," she said rather shyly.

Sirius resisted the urge to fist pump, at least until he was sure she would say yes. "Would you like to go with me?"

Kara looked up at him, her brown eyes hopeful. "You want me to go with you?" She sounded like she couldn't believe it.

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, yeah. I mean...everyone else already has a date. Then Mel mentioned you and said that you didn't have a date either."

Kara's smile fell. "I see..." She looked crestfallen now.

Sirius could see that he was losing her so he decided to try and say something to win her back. "I figured that I could ask you since you didn't have a date and I kind of felt sorry for you."

Kara looked like she was about to cry now. Sirius could see the tears welling up within her eyes. "Kara? What's wrong? Don't you want to go with me?"

Kara took a deep breath and in a shaky voice, responded to Sirius. "I don't want to go with someone who asks me just because I'm a last resort or they feel sorry for me. I'm sorry, Sirius, but I'm not going to the ball with you." With those words, she turned and, instead of running from the library in tears like she would usually do when she was upset, she walked out.

Sirius just stood there. What the hell just happened? Part of him was very confused, but another part of him felt guilty. He had offended her greatly and he had no idea how to make it up to her. Sighing, Sirius headed back to the seventh floor to the Gryffindor dormitories.


	32. Chapter 17 Part 2

**James Potter**

"So do you think Padfoot found a date for the ball yet?" James asked as he tugged lightly on the end of Lily's plait. The two of them were in the Gryffindor common room. Lily was sitting on the floor working on a Transfiguration essay, and James was sitting on the couch messing with her hair.

"Knowing Sirius, he probably has three dates," Lily said moving her head out of James's reach. "Now stop, I need to concentrate on this essay."

The portrait swung open and Sirius walked in looking very crestfallen about something. James and Lily both looked up at him. James could tell that something was wrong by the expression on his best friend's face. He waited until Sirius crossed the room and flopped down onto the couch next to him.

"Well, guess who's going to be dateless," he said with a dejected sigh.

James didn't know what to say. This was something new. Women were usually all over Sirius. He was surprised that the girls weren't knocking each other over just to get with him. "Seriously, what happened?"

"I asked about every eligible girl from fifth year to seventh year and even a few third and fourth years and-"

"You asked some third years? Are you crazy?" Lily asked incredulously. "They're too young!"

Sirius's grey eyes moved from James to Lily. "Age is just a number," he said smugly.

"Jail is just a room," Lily retorted glaring at him.

James decided to stop the argument before it started. "Okay, okay, we'll just let that slide because apparently they didn't accept his offer, so it's all right. What happened next?" he asked fixing his eyes back upon Sirius.

Sirius continued, "So then I asked Melanie thinking that she might want to go." Lily snorted, but Sirius ignored her. "It turns out that she has a date as well with that Amos Diggory bloke."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I could have told you that. It doesn't surprise me though. That Diggory fellow is rather good looking," she said with a dreamy sigh.

James quirked his left eyebrow, not quite believing what he was hearing. He picked up the roll of parchment that Lily was using to write her essay and hit her over the head with it like one would hit a dog with a newspaper. "No! No!" he scolded. "Bad!"

Lily's emerald eyes narrowed at him. "Do you want me to shove my wand up your ass? No? Then stop," she said snatching the roll of parchment away from him before shifting her attention back towards Sirius who appeared to have an expression that was halfway between amused and depressed. "Sorry, Sirius. You were saying?"

"Well, there was only one person left," Sirius said. "I went to the library to ask Kara since I knew she didn't have a date either. She got...well...she got a little pissed off at me, not really pissed off, but let's just say she wasn't happy with me."

Lily sighed. "You really don't get it do you?" she asked.

James and Sirius both looked rather perplexed. "Get what?" Sirius asked.

"Kara doesn't want to be the last resort. She doesn't want you to ask her just because there is no one else. Chances are she feels very insulted," Lily said clearly not very impressed with Sirius.

"But I wasn't trying to insult her!" Sirius protested defensively. "I figured that since neither of us had dates, we could go together. I mean, I felt sorry for her."

"That's your second mistake!" Lily snapped angrily taking both James and Sirius aback in shock. "Kara didn't want you to feel sorry for her. She wanted you to ask her because you wanted to. She wanted to be the first person you asked. Do you understand?"

To Sirius's credit, he looked guilty. James thought that perhaps Lily should cut him some slack, but as this was his girlfriend and best friend, he did not want to take sides and risk the wrath of either of them.

"You both kind of have a point. Sirius thought he was doing good by asking Kara. Maybe he shouldn't have gone about it the way he did," James said.

"So what do you suggest I do? Sirius asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? Go talk to her! Maybe if you try a different approach, she'll come around," she said. "If you're lucky, the two of you may be able to go together, still."

Sirius looked thoughtful for a minute. "I'll be back," he said before standing up and leaving the common room. James looked down at Lily. "You're amazing, you know that?" he said admiringly.

Lily smirked. "I know," she said. "Besides, I think that Sirius and Kara would be very cute together."

An expression of surprise came upon James's face. "Does Kara like Sirius or something?" he asked.

Lily shook her head. "You have so much to learn about how girls' minds work," she said as she continued her homework.

James grinned mischievously and slipped down onto the floor next to her. "Oh really?" he asked before seizing her lips suddenly in a kiss. Lily protested for a few moments, but soon felt herself soften as she wrapped her arms around him and sighed against his lips, her homework forgotten beside her as the two of them began a snogging session right on the floor.


End file.
